93-610: The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney , New South Wales , Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, the City of Sydney is the oldest, and the oldest-surviving, local government authority in New South Wales, and the second-oldest in Australia, with only
186-542: A proposal to create a colonial nobility was subject to heavy criticism and later withdrawn. The approved bicameral structure included a fully elected Legislative Assembly, as well as a Legislative Council whose members were appointed for life. A government assumed most of the Governor's legislative powers. The new constitution was sent to the Imperial Parliament and passed into law on 16 July 1855. On 22 May 1856,
279-577: A unitary authority , but the Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to the whole of the ACT as an unincorporated area. The ACT Government directorate Transport Canberra & City Services handles responsibilities that are under the purview of local government in other parts of Australia, such as local road maintenance, libraries and waste collection. Many Canberra districts have community organisations called "community councils", but these are not part of
372-566: A Labor state government and completed in 1989 under a Liberal Coalition government saw the City of Sydney split again, with southern suburbs forming the City of South Sydney , a moved that advantaged the government of the day, as the southern suburbs now in South Sydney Council had traditionally voted Labor. On 8 May 2003 the Labor state Government partially undid this change, when approximately 40% of
465-432: A decade, City of Sydney ratepayers have also been forced to foot an annual bill of approximately $ 1 million to maintain the non-residential electoral roll. Nowhere else in this state do we see one group of voters favoured in this way. It erodes the democratic process and undermines the vital importance of giving residents and ratepayers a balanced voice in local council elections." The City of Sydney Amendment Act 2023 passed
558-422: A duty of 3 shillings a gallon. They were able to sell it for a huge profit and in turn the government refunded them the duty as a payment for their work, thereby gaining for their construction the title of the 'Rum Hospital'. Originally consisting of three buildings, the central main building was demolished in 1879 to make way for the new Sydney Hospital , which was completed in 1885. The first building, now known as
651-534: A geographic or historical interpretation. The council board members are generally known as councillors , and the head councillor is called the mayor . As of August 2016, there were 547 local councils in Australia. Despite the single tier of local governance in Australia, there are a number of extensive regions with relatively low populations that are not a part of any established LGA. Powers of local governments in these unincorporated areas may be exercised by special-purpose governing bodies established outside of
744-535: A larger workload. The growth of the Regional Organisations of Councils has also been a factor in local government reform in Australia. In 1995, there were 50 such agreements across the country. A 2002 study identified 55 ROCs with the largest involving 18 councils. Local government powers are determined by state governments, and states have primary responsibility for funding and exclusive responsibility for supervision of local councils. Local government
837-555: A long history, and owe much to Victorian era romanticism, having only been worn on the bonnet since the mid-19th century when the buckled strap device commonly used by the Order of the Garter was adopted as a popular design to encircle monogram escutcheons and heraldic crests. The crest badge came to be accepted in the mid-20th century as the emblem of both houses of Parliament. The emblem appears on official stationery, publications and papers, and
930-461: A new municipality of South Sydney. South Sydney was brought back into the city in 1982, but became separate again under the City of Sydney Act of 1988 and then became smaller than its original size at 6.19 km. It grew again in February 2004 with the merger of the two council areas, and now has a population of approximately 170,000 people. These changes in boundaries have often resulted in control of
1023-512: A result of the COVID-19 pandemic . When compared with total population growth of Australia of 8.81% between 2011 and 2016, population growth in the Sydney local government area was almost triple the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Sydney was just under 1.5 times the national average. The proportion of dwellings in the City of Sydney that are apartments or units
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#17328512550581116-403: A shift from 'services to property' towards 'services to people'. Community expectations of local government in Australia have risen in the 21st century partly as a result of wider participation in decision-making and transparent management practices. Recent years have seen some State governments devolving additional powers onto LGAs. In Queensland and Western Australia LGAs have been granted
1209-460: A year. Sydney has become a leader in the development of green office buildings and enforcing the requirement of all building proposals to be energy-efficient. The One Central Park development, completed in 2013, is an example of this implementation and design. Proposals to make all of Sydney's future buildings sustainable and environmentally friendly by using recycled water , rooftop gardens , efficient and renewable energy. The City of Sydney
1302-570: Is 78.5%, which is substantially different from the Australian average of 14.2%. The proportion of residents in the Sydney local government area that claimed Australian ancestry was approximately half the national average. Sydney City Council is composed of ten Councillors, including the Lord Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Lord Mayor is directly elected while the nine other Councillors are elected proportionally . The Deputy Lord Mayor
1395-528: Is a major supporter of the Sydney Peace Prize . Sydney City Council maintains sister city relations with the following cities: Local government in Australia [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Local government is the third level of government in Australia , administered with limited autonomy under the states and territories , and in turn beneath the federal government . Local government
1488-412: Is currently governed under the City of Sydney Act, 1988 , which defines and limits the powers, election method, constitution and boundaries of the council area. On 6 February 2004, the former local government area of the City of South Sydney , which itself had been created in 1989 from areas formerly part of the City of Sydney (including Alexandria , Darlington , Erskineville , Newtown and Redfern ),
1581-592: Is elected annually by the councillors. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024 , and the makeup of the council, including the Lord Mayor, is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election, is: Unlike all other local government area in NSW (which are governed under the Local Government Act, 1993 ), the City of Sydney is governed under the City of Sydney Act, 1988 . On 25 September 2014,
1674-403: Is generally run by a council , and its territory of public administration is referred to generically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the local government area or LGA , each of which encompasses multiple suburbs or localities (roughly equivalent to neighborhoods) often of different postcodes ; however, stylised terms such as "city", " borough ", " region " and " shire " also have
1767-517: Is mentioned in the annotated Australian constitution, as a department of the State Governments, and they are mentioned in the constitutions of each of the six states. Under the Constitution, the federal government cannot provide funding directly to local governments; a 1974 referendum sought to amend the Constitution to authorise the federal government to directly fund local governments, but it
1860-675: Is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia , and two referendums in 1974 and 1988 to alter the Constitution relating to local government were unsuccessful. Every state/territory government recognises local government in its own respective constitution . Unlike the two-tier local government system in Canada or the United States , there is only one tier of local government in each Australian state/territory, with no distinction between counties and cities . The Australian local government
1953-447: Is part of a local government area. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations. Queensland and Tasmania are entirely partitioned into LGAs and have no unincorporated areas. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has no municipalities. The ACT government is responsible for both state-level and local-level matters. In some countries, such an arrangement would be referred to as
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#17328512550582046-645: Is shared with the Federal (or Commonwealth) Parliament . The houses of the New South Wales Parliament follow the Westminster parliamentary traditions of dress, green–red chamber colours and protocols. The houses of the legislature are located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street , Sydney . The Parliament of New South Wales was the first of the Australian colonial legislatures, with its formation in
2139-504: Is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state/territory it belongs to. The functions and practices of local councils are mostly centered around managing public services and land uses at the community level, and are similar throughout Australia, but can vary to some degree between jurisdictions. State departments oversee the activities of local councils and may intervene in their affairs when needed, subject to relevant legislation. For more details in each state and territory, see
2232-585: Is the City of Brisbane , the most populous LGA in the country, which administers a significant part of the Brisbane metropolitan area . In most cases, when a city's population statistics are used, it is the statistical division population rather than the local government area. The following table provides a summary of local government areas by states and territories by local government area types as of December 2023: The Australian Classification of Local Governments (ACLG) categorises local governing authorities using
2325-741: The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). It consists of the monarch , the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each house is directly elected by the people of New South Wales at elections held approximately every four years. The legislative authority of the parliament derives from section 5 of the Constitution Act 1902 (NSW). The power to make laws that apply to New South Wales
2418-506: The Cabinet , and reflects the legislative agenda for which they seek the agreement of both houses of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II opened the New South Wales Parliament on two occasions, on 4 February 1954, as part of her first visit to Australia, which was also the first occasion in which a monarch of Australia had opened a session of any Australian parliament. The other occasion was on 20 February 1992, during her visit to Sydney to celebrate
2511-478: The City of Adelaide being older by two years. Given its prominent position, historically, geographically, economically and socially, the City of Sydney has long been a source of political interest and intrigue. As a result of this, the boundaries, constitution and legal basis of the council have changed many times throughout its history, often to suit the governing party of the State of New South Wales. The City of Sydney
2604-689: The Imperial Parliament , which expanded the New South Wales Legislative Council so that by 1851 there were 54 members – again, with two-thirds elected. In 1853, a select committee chaired by William Wentworth began drawing up a constitution for responsible self-government in the colony. While many of the provisions in the committee's proposed constitution were accepted when placed before the Legislative Council in August that year,
2697-577: The Local Government Act does not mandate adopting a designation, some local government areas are legally known simply as "council", such as Port Macquarie-Hastings Council , Inner West Council and Federation Council . Some rural areas in South Australia are known as "district council", and all the LGAs in Tasmania that were previously municipalities have been renamed "council". Almost all local councils have
2790-546: The Outback Communities Authority . Victoria has a number of unincorporated areas which are not part of any LGA: Western Australia has two unincorporated areas: Parliament of New South Wales Opposition (35) Crossbench (13) Opposition (14) Crossbench (13) The Parliament of New South Wales , formally the Legislature of New South Wales , is the bicameral legislative body of
2883-703: The Pastoral Unincorporated Area in South Australia . Local governments are subdivisions of the six federated states as well as the Northern Territory . The Australian Capital Territory has no separate local government, and municipal functions in Canberra and the surrounding regions (normally performed by local governments in other states) are performed by the ACT territorial government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), however, considers
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2976-574: The Sydney Mint , was given to the Royal Mint in 1851 to become the Australian branch of its operations; it remained a mint until 1927. The second building, originally built as the Chief Surgeon's quarters, was given to the government in 1829 for the purposes of a Parliament chamber. This chamber was added to following the growth of the legislature in 1843, and again in 1856. The last major renovation to
3069-759: The Top End region, the Northern Territory Rates Act Area and Darwin Waterfront Precinct within Darwin , Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula , Alyangula on Groote Eylandt , and Yulara in Central Australia . In South Australia , 63% of the state's area is unincorporated. Residents in this area – less than 0.2% of the state's population – receive municipal services provided by a state agency,
3162-527: The 1850s. At the time, New South Wales was a British colony under the control of the Governor . A small, appointed Legislative Council began meeting in 1824 to advise the Governor on legislative matters. By 1843, this had been enlarged, with two-thirds of its members elected by adult males who met certain property requirements. In 1850, the Australian Colonies Government Act was passed by
3255-474: The City of Sydney are: Urban places : The Geographical Names Board of New South Wales defines an urban place as a place, site or precinct in an urban landscape, the name of which is in current use, but the limits of which have not been defined under the address locality program. The name Sydney comes from " Sydney Cove " which is where the English Governor (later Admiral) Arthur Phillip established
3348-486: The City of Sydney have changed fairly regularly since 1900. The bankrupt Municipality of Camperdown was merged with the city in 1909. As a result of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 , the municipalities of Alexandria , Darlington , Erskineville , Newtown , Redfern , The Glebe , Waterloo , and Paddington were added to the city. In 1968 the boundaries were changed and many of these suburbs moved to be part of
3441-478: The City of Sydney, representing 39% of all non-residential electors for the area. On 13 September 2023, Ron Hoenig , the Minister for Local Government in the new Labor state government of Chris Minns , announced that the government had introduced the City of Sydney Amendment Bill 2023 and planned to be implemented at the next elections scheduled for September 2024, that would reverse the 2014 amendment act and remove
3534-606: The LGA. Alternatively the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales provides an interactive map of the Sydney LGA. At the 2021 census , there were 211,632 people in the Sydney local government area, of these 52.3% were male and 47.7% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.4% of the population. The median age of people in the City of Sydney was 34 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 7.6% of
3627-469: The Legislative Assembly are elected at each general election from single-member districts using optional preferential voting to terms of up to four years. The 42 Legislative Council members are elected for two terms (a maximum of eight years), with half elected at each general election. Elections for the Legislative Council are conducted on a statewide, at-large basis (meaning all members represent
3720-417: The Legislative Assembly was reduced from 109 to 99 Members and then to 93 members in 1999. The Parliament building was originally built on the orders of Governor Lachlan Macquarie , to be Sydney's second major hospital. In 1810, he awarded the contract to Garnham Blaxcell , Alexander Riley and D'Arcy Wentworth . The contract gave the builders the right to import 45,000 gallons of rum, for which they paid
3813-426: The Legislative Council in 1921, but the appointment was ruled out of order. The first two women appointed to the Legislative Council were both Labor Party members proposed on 23 November 1931: Catherine Green , who took her seat the following day, and Ellen Webster , who joined her two days later. In 1925, 1926, and 1929, Premier Jack Lang made unsuccessful attempts to abolish the Legislative Council, following
City of Sydney - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-593: The Legislative Council. This authority is granted by section 5 of the Constitution Act 1902 (NSW); an act that itself was passed by the NSW Parliament under the authority granted to it from the Constitution Act 1855 . This was an act originating from a bill from the pre-responsible government Legislative Council, that was slightly modified and given the force of law by an act of the UK parliament. All 93 members of
3999-664: The NSW Liberal/National Coalition Government of Mike Baird , in conjunction with the Shooters and Fishers Party in the Legislative Council, passed the City of Sydney Amendment (Elections) Act, 2014 , which allowed businesses to have two votes each in City of Sydney elections via a compulsory non-resident register that is maintained at the expense of the City Council. Implemented for the 2016 election and maintained by Council at an annual cost of $ 1.7 million,
4092-490: The Parliament on 21 September, and received royal assent from the Governor on 27 September 2023, returning to the optional single business vote in city elections. The City of Sydney has adopted various policies to reduce the council's climate impact , including strategies implemented since the 2000s to reduce car pollution by investing in mass and public transit and introducing a fleet of 10 new Nissan Leaf electric cars ,
4185-467: The South Sydney City Council area was merged back into the City of Sydney including Camperdown, Chippendale, Darlington, East Sydney, Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo. Glebe was also transferred back from Leichhardt Council to the City of Sydney. On 6 February 2004, the remaining parts of the South Sydney City Council were merged into the City of Sydney. Critics claimed that this was performed with
4278-469: The additional business roll was widely criticised as being an infringement on the democratic process and an attempt to gerrymander election results by the Liberal/National Coalition. At the time of the bill ABC election analyst, Antony Green , noted: "For eight decades both sides of NSW politics have viewed Sydney's Lord Mayoralty as a bauble to be delivered as soon as possible to someone that
4371-435: The advice of the premier of New South Wales . The premier and government are directly accountable to Parliament through its control of public finances and the need for its confidence, and to the public through members of Parliament. The governor chooses the premier, usually depending on the results of the general election, who then forms a government from members of the houses of Parliament. This must be someone who can command
4464-494: The attention of the government particular issues affecting their constituents. For a bill to become law, it must be passed by both the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly and be assented to by the governor. Under Section 5A of the New South Wales Constitution Act (1902), a bill appropriating revenue for the ordinary annual services of the government can be presented to the governor for assent even if
4557-474: The building was undertaken between 1974 and 1985, which saw a jumble of buildings that had become the parliamentary chambers demolished and replaced by a 12-story block linked by a fountain court to the original Parliament House. The building was also restored to its 1908 appearance. The legislative authority, the King-in-Parliament , has three separate elements: the monarch; the Legislative Assembly; and
4650-524: The business vote is "complex, costly and has no clear public benefit." However, one supporter of the business vote was former councillor Angela Vithoulkas : "Businesses and property owners pay over 72% of the rates [in the City of Sydney], they deserve to have a voice and exercise their democratic right." Following the 2021 council elections , the NSW Electoral Commission issued 18,501 failure to vote notices and fines to non-residential electors in
4743-608: The compulsory double business voting roll, and return to the system of optional single business voting. On this announcement Hoenig commented: "The amendments were made by the Liberals in a brazen attempt to oust Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore from office and give the party an electoral advantage in controlling the Sydney Town Hall. As expected, the amendments have clearly missed their target with thousands of non-resident ratepayers being slugged with fines for not voting instead. For nearly
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#17328512550584836-436: The confidence of a majority in the Legislative Assembly. This is usually a straightforward decision, though occasionally the governor has to make a judgment, as in August 1939 when the governor, Lord Wakehurst , handled a major political crisis brought about when the former deputy leader of the governing United Australia Party , Eric Spooner , brought down Premier Bertram Stevens in a motion of no confidence . Wakehurst asked
4929-473: The council [...] One of the great flaws of the legislation was that it gives businesses two votes and residents just one, completely reversing one of the founding principles of Australia’s democracy: one vote, one value. [It] was not about business voting at all – it was about manipulating democracy." Moore's position has been supported by several community groups and also Labor Councillor and President of Local Government NSW, Linda Scott, who expressed her view that
5022-519: The council adopted the Sustainable Sydney 2030 programme, which outlined various energy targets, such as a comprehensive plan to reduce energy in homes and offices within Sydney by 30%. In the commercial space, reductions in energy consumption have decreased energy bills by $ 30 million a year in more than half of office spaces, and solar panels ] have been installed on many CBD buildings in an effort to minimise carbon pollution by around 3,000 tonnes
5115-582: The council by the governing party in the Parliament of New South Wales at the time; the Labor Party often sought to have traditional working-class suburbs like Redfern, Erskineville, Alexandria and Waterloo included in the council area, and the Liberal Party and its predecessors often desired a smaller council area focused on inner-Sydney or a limited/broader voting franchise. A 1987 re-organisation initiated by
5208-450: The entire ACT as an " unincorporated " local government area, even though it is technically a state-level administrative region . Although all essentially identical in functions and jurisdictions, Australian local governments have a variety of different titles. The term "local government area" (LGA) is used by the ABS to collectively refer to all local government administrative zones regardless of
5301-475: The entire state) using the single transferable vote system similar to that used for elections to the federal Senate . In the running of Parliament, the two presiding officers have a role that is similar to Ministers and their departments. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the President of the Legislative Council are responsible for the employing of staff. In consultation with the parliamentary clerks,
5394-487: The example of the Queensland Legislative Council in 1922. These attempts led to further reform, and in 1933 the law was changed so that a quarter of the Legislative Council would be elected every three years by members of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council, rather than being appointed by the Governor. From 1926, people receiving aid could again be on the electoral roll. Compulsory voting
5487-504: The first half of the 20th century was the provision of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and sewerage. From the 1970s the emphasis changed to community facilities such as libraries and parks, maintenance of local roads, town planning and development approvals, and local services such as waste disposal. Child care, tourism and urban renewal were also beginning to be part of local governments' role. These are financed by collection of local land taxes known as "rates", and grants from
5580-817: The first settlement, after arriving with the First Fleet . On 26 January 1788, he named it after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney , who was the Home Secretary at the time, and the man responsible for the plan for the convict colony in Australia. The "City of Sydney" was established on 20 July 1842 by the Corporation Act which encompasses present-day Woolloomooloo , Surry Hills , Chippendale and Pyrmont , an area of 11.65 km. There were six wards established by boundary posts. These wards were: Gipps, Brisbane, Macquarie, Bourke, Cook and Phillip. A boundary post still exists in front of Sydney Square. The boundaries of
5673-448: The first time. Significant reforms took place in the 1980s and 1990s in which state governments used metrics and efficiency analysis developed within the private sector in the local government arena. Each state conducted an inquiry into the benefits of council amalgamations during the 1990s. In the early 1990s, Victoria saw the number of local councils reduced from 210 to 78. South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland saw some reductions in
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#17328512550585766-415: The following: The Australian Capital Territory is not divided into local government areas, so it is regarded as a single "unincorporated" local government area during censusing . Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. Aside from very sparsely populated areas and a few other special cases, almost all of Australia
5859-496: The government (though they generally receive government funding). They do not have the power to change laws or policies, and their role is limited to advising government. They are effectively residents' associations . New South Wales has three unincorporated areas: In the Northern Territory , 1.47% of the total area and 3.0% of the population are in unincorporated areas. These include the Cox-Daly and Marrakai-Douglas Daly areas in
5952-607: The intention of creating a "super-council" which would be under the control of Labor, which also controlled the NSW Government. Subsequent to this merger, an election took place on 27 March 2004 which resulted in the independent candidate Clover Moore defeating the high-profile Labor candidate, former federal minister Michael Lee and winning the position of Lord Mayor . The current City of Sydney Local Government Area (LGA) covers about 26.15 square kilometres (281,500,000 sq ft). City of Sydney provides an official map of
6045-551: The largest order of the vehicle in Australia. The council has also invested in bicycle infrastructure, and cycling trips have increased by 113% across Sydney's inner-city since March 2010, with approximately 2,000 bikes passing through top peak-hour intersections on an average weekday. The City of Sydney became the first council in Australia to achieve formal certification as carbon-neutral in 2008. The city has reduced its 2007 carbon emissions by 6% and since 2006 has reduced carbon emissions from city buildings by up to 20%. In 2008,
6138-608: The local legislation, as with Victoria 's alpine resorts ; or directly administered by state/territory governments, such as the entirety of the Australian Capital Territory . The administrative area covered by local government councils in Australia ranges from as small as 1.5 km (0.58 sq mi) for the Shire of Peppermint Grove in the Perth metropolitan region , to as big as 624,339 km (241,059 sq mi) for
6231-476: The loss of the Queensland seats. In 1901, New South Wales became a state of the Commonwealth of Australia , and many government functions were transferred to the new Commonwealth government. In 1902, the current constitution of New South Wales was adopted. Women gained the right to vote in Commonwealth elections in April 1902, and in New South Wales state elections in August 1902. In 1918, reforms permitted women to be members of Parliament, although no woman
6324-429: The mayor is elected by the board of fellow councillors . The powers of mayors vary as well; for example, mayors in Queensland have broad executive functions, whereas mayors in New South Wales are essentially ceremonial figureheads who can only exercise power at the discretion of the council. Most of the capital city LGAs administer only the central business districts and nearby central suburbs . A notable exception
6417-509: The names of LGAs, and today the stylised titles of " town ", " borough ", " municipality ", " district ", " region ", "community government", " Aboriginal council/shire" and "island" are used in addition. The word "municipality" occurs in some states with differing meanings: in New South Wales it is typically used for older urban areas, and the word is used for some rural towns in South Australia . Larger towns and small metropolitan exurban centres in Queensland and Western Australia simply use
6510-473: The new government thinks is right and proper to hold the position [...] Given the history ... it is a little difficult to view the proposed changes as anything other than being a state government trying again to get its way on who should be Lord Mayor of Sydney." The Lord Mayor Clover Moore also expressed her opposition, seeing it as another attempt to attack her administration and that the new compulsory business register "placed an unworkable and costly burden on
6603-421: The newly constituted New South Wales Parliament opened and sat for the first time. With the new 54-member Legislative Assembly taking over the council chamber, a second meeting chamber for the 21 member upper house had to be added to the Parliament building on Macquarie Street. The Electoral Act of 1858 made additional changes. The right to vote was extended to most males over 21 years of age. However, men "in
6696-649: The number of local governments while Western Australia and New South Wales rejected compulsory mergers. New South Wales eventually forced the merging of some councils. The main purpose of amalgamating councils was for greater efficiency and to improve operations, but forced amalgamation of councils is sometimes seen as a dilution of representative democracy . An increase in the range of services offered by councils, but only minor cost savings of less than 10% have been noted by academics as outcomes after mergers. The council mergers have resulted in widespread job losses and lingering resentment from some whose roles have experienced
6789-544: The part of local governments. There is no mention of local government in the Constitution of Australia , though it is mentioned several times in the Annotated Constitution of Australia. "Municipal institutions and local government" appears in Annotation 447, and "Power of the Parliament of a Colony" appears under "Residuary Legislative Powers" on pages 935 and 936. The first official local government in Australia
6882-415: The population and people aged 65 years and over made up 9.7% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 25.2% were married and 9.8% were either divorced or separated. Population growth in the City of Sydney between the 2006 Census and the 2011 Census was 4.57%; with a significant increase of 22.93% between 2011 and 2016; and a more modest increase of 1.56% between 2016 and 2021 likely as
6975-865: The population, the population density and the proportion of the population that is classified as being urban for the council. The classification, at the two-digit level, is: All local governments are approximately equal in their theoretical powers, although LGAs that encompass large cities such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast command more resources due to their larger population base. Unlike local governments in many other countries, services such as police, fire protection and schools are provided by respective state or territory governments rather than by local councils. However, local governments still maintain some responsibility for fire service functions within Queensland and Western Australia. The councils' chief responsibility in
7068-414: The power to independently enact their own local subsidiary legislation , in contrast to the previous system of by-laws . Councils also have organised their own representative structures such as Local Government Associations and Regional Organisations of Councils . Doctrines of New Public Management have shaped state government legislation towards increased freedoms aiming to allow greater flexibility on
7161-576: The presiding officers determine policy for the operation of their respective chambers and jointly for the Parliament. The final step for a bill passed by the houses of parliament to become a law is the granting of royal assent by the governor on behalf of the King. Other powers of the governor in relation to Parliament include the power to prorogue, summon and dissolve the houses, issue writs for elections and administer oaths to new members of parliament. These powers are in almost all circumstances exercised on
7254-526: The purpose of raising money to build roads in rural and outer-urban regions. Council representatives attended conventions before Federation , however local government was unquestionably regarded as outside the Constitutional realm. In the 1970s, the Whitlam government expanded the level of funding to local governments in Australia beyond grants for road construction. General purpose grants become available for
7347-430: The receipt of aid from any charitable institution" were ineligible. This was deemed to include all people living on Aboriginal stations and reserves . Other men not able to vote included those "of unsound mind", incarcerated individuals, and members of the military or the police. In 1859 Queensland separated from New South Wales to form an independent colony. The Legislative Assembly was reduced from 80 to 72 members by
7440-408: The same administrative functions and similar political structures, regardless of their naming, and retain a particular designation ("shire", "borough", "town", "city") for historical reasons only. They will typically have an elected council and usually a mayor or shire president responsible for chairing meetings of the council. In some councils, the mayor is a directly elected figure, but in most cases
7533-646: The sesquicentenary of the incorporation of the City of Sydney , on which occasion she stated: This is my second opportunity to address this Parliament – a Parliament which I described on the previous occasion, in 1954, as the Mother Parliament of Australia. It is interesting to reflect that that was the first time on which the Sovereign had opened a Session of an Australian Parliament. I was also on my first visit to Australia as your Queen. I have returned to New South Wales eight times since then and am always delighted by
7626-493: The state and Commonwealth governments. They are caricatured as being concerned only with the "three Rs": Rates, Roads and Rubbish. However, the roles of local government areas in Australia have recently expanded as higher levels of government have devolved activities to the third tier. Examples include the provision of community health services, regional airports and pollution control as well as community safety and accessible transport. The changes in services has been described as
7719-569: The state attending. The New South Wales Parliament maintains many of the traditions of the original Parliament of the United Kingdom , from which the New South Wales Parliament was founded. The governor, or occasionally the monarch , reads a prepared speech, known as the Speech from the Throne , outlining the government's agenda for the coming year. The speech is not written by the governor, but rather by
7812-606: The term "town", while in Victoria they are designated as "rural city". Historically, the word "borough" was common for small towns and suburban centers in Victoria, but nowadays only the Borough of Queenscliffe remains as the one and only borough in the entire country. New South Wales and Queensland have also introduced a new term "region" for outback LGAs formed by the amalgamation of smaller shires and rural cities. In New South Wales, where
7905-417: The treasurer, Alexander Mair , to form a government. The current premier of New South Wales is Chris Minns of the Labor Party . Government ministers (including the premier) must regularly answer questions in the chambers and there are a number of select committees that scrutinise particular issues and the workings of the government. There are also mechanisms that allow members of Parliament to bring to
7998-545: The upper house has not agreed to it. The state opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of New South Wales. It is held in the Legislative Council Chamber, usually in November or December, or in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembles. It is an occasion for much pomp and ceremony, usually with a guard of honour and with dignitaries of
8091-501: The varying designations, whilst the local governing legislature itself is generally known as a council . In general, an urban / suburban LGA is called a " city ", as in the City of Melbourne , City of Canada Bay and City of Bunbury ; while an exurban / rural LGA covering a larger agricultural / natural area is usually called a " shire ", as in Shire of Mornington Peninsula , Shire of Banana and Lachlan Shire . Sometimes designations other than "city" or "shire" are used in
8184-428: The warm and generous hospitality accorded to Prince Philip and me by the people of this State. On this occasion I have come to join in commemorating Sydney's first one hundred and fifty years as a city. The official emblem of the New South Wales Parliament is a crowned circlet featuring the coat of arms of New South Wales taking the form of a Scottish crest badge . Crest badges, much like clan tartans , do not have
8277-539: Was defeated. A 1988 referendum sought to explicitly insert mention of local government in the federal constitution but this was comprehensively defeated. A further referendum was proposed in 2013 , but was cancelled due to the change in the election date . Federal government interaction with local councils happens regularly through the provision of federal grants to help fund local government managed projects. Local government in Australia has very limited legislative powers and no judicial powers , and executive -wise
8370-497: Was elected until 1925 when Millicent Preston-Stanley was elected to represent the Eastern Suburbs . That same year, a proportional representation system was introduced for the Legislative Assembly with multiple representatives from each electorate; this system lasted until it was abolished in 1926. Women were not able to be appointed to the Legislative Council until 1926; Premier John Storey attempted to appoint Kate Dwyer to
8463-463: Was formally merged into the City of Sydney and the current city boundaries date from this merger. The leader of the City of Sydney is known as the Lord Mayor of Sydney , currently held since 27 March 2004 by Clover Moore , who also served concurrently as the state Member of Parliament for Sydney and Bligh from 1988 to 2012. Suburbs within or partially within the City of Sydney are: Localities in
8556-646: Was introduced in 1928. In 1978, the Council became a directly elected body in a program of electoral reform introduced by the Wran Labor government. The number of members was reduced to 45, although transitional arrangements meant that there were 43 members from 1978 to 1981, and 44 from 1981 to 1984. Further reform in 1991 by the Greiner Liberal – National government saw the size of the Legislative Council cut to 42 members, with half being elected every 4 years. In 1991,
8649-600: Was the Perth Town Trust , established in 1838, only three years after British settlement. The Adelaide Corporation followed, created by the province of South Australia in October 1840. The City of Melbourne and the Sydney Corporation followed, both in 1842. All of these early forms failed; it was not until the 1860s and 1870s that the various colonies established widespread stable forms of local government, mainly for
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