22-582: The Shire of Derby–West Kimberley is one of four local government areas in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia , covering an area of 104,080 square kilometres (40,186 sq mi), most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's population as at the 2016 Census was almost 8,000, with most residing in the major towns of Derby , which is also the Shire's seat of government, and Fitzroy Crossing . There are also around 70 Aboriginal communities within
44-590: A representative of the Cocos Malay community. The islands' administrator is also the administrator of Christmas Island . These two Territories comprise Australia's Indian Ocean Territories. The Australian Government provides Commonwealth-level government services through the Indian Ocean Territories Administration and the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities . As per
66-443: A significant reduction in the number of decisions requiring ministerial approval which allowed for streamlined decision-making and greater local government autonomy. Although successive state governments have periodically promoted municipal amalgamation, only a small number of local governments have merged over the course of Western Australia's history. Historically most local governments have strongly resisted forced amalgamations and
88-523: A tax on private allotments to fund the construction and maintenance of "roads, paths and plantations". As the Colony began to develop, the first form of local government was established in some areas under the Towns Improvement Act of 1838. These trusts were empowered to elect ratepayers as Trustees and assess and collect a property tax for the construction of roads. Many of these town trusts, including
110-521: Is grouped with Western Australia but is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities and an Administrator. The Shire covers an area of 14.1 km (5.4 sq mi) in the Indian Ocean, about 2,770 km (1,720 mi) north-west of Perth and 1,000 km (620 mi) south-west of Java in Indonesia . The current shire president is Aindil Minkom , who
132-740: The Indian Ocean Territories Administration of Laws Act , which allows the Western Australian Local Government Act to apply "on-island" as though it were a Commonwealth act. Nonetheless, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are not parts of Western Australia. The most recent local government elections were held in 2023 . Land was originally granted in the Swan River Colony under regulations which allowed for land commissioners to assess
154-605: The Greater Perth Movement around this time led to the amalgamation of inner city local governments to create a greatly expanded City of Perth until 1993, when the City was broken up once again. The first local government department was established by the state in 1949 to guide local government authorities. Following the war local governments increasingly expanded their services from property, health and local infrastructure (roads, drainage) to community and social services. This
176-505: The Perth Town Trust , experienced severe administrative and financial difficulties, and in some cases barely functioned at all. The Guildford Town Trust lasted only a couple of years before ceasing to function until it was reconstituted in 1863. The District Roads Act and Municipal Institutions Act , both of 1871 improved matters by allowing for the establishment of Roads Boards and Municipal Corporations. Municipal Corporations had
198-687: The Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands are also included for comparison purposes. Federal external territory. Currently, Western Australia has ten regional councils. Each regional council comprises two or more local government areas (LGAs). Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands The Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is a local government area which manages local affairs on the Australian external territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands ( 12°07′S 96°54′E / 12.117°S 96.900°E / -12.117; 96.900 ; post code : 6799). The island
220-660: The Federal Government's Territories Law Reform Act 1992 , which came into force on 1 July 1992, Western Australian laws are applied to the Cocos Islands, "so far as they are capable of applying in the Territory"; non-application or partial application of such laws is at the discretion of the federal government. The Act also gives Western Australian courts judicial power over the islands. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands remain constitutionally distinct from Western Australia, however;
242-586: The Shire. The major industries of the shire include cattle for export, fishing, and tourism. It was established as the West Kimberley Road District on 10 February 1887. The first Broome Road District separated on 15 November 1901 and the Municipality of Broome separated on 30 September 1904, but were re-absorbed on 24 July 1908 and 13 December 1918 respectively; the Broome area then again separated as
SECTION 10
#1733202793122264-627: The capacity to levy property taxes, pass municipal by-laws and undertake various local regulatory services previously carried out by colonial officials and other central bodies. Corporations could also establish civic institutions and facilities with the governors' consent, including libraries and botanical gardens. Road Boards where strictly limited to the construction of roads, could not levy property taxes and depended on colonial government grants for any expenditures. Women were permitted to be elected to Road Boards from 1911 and to Municipal Corporations from 1919. The influence of town clerk W.E. Bold and
286-523: The eastern states to stock the lease. Other properties in the area include Mount Barnett Station , Cherrabun , Charnley River Station , Glenroy , Gogo , Kimberley Downs , Liveringa , Meda , Mornington , Mount Hart , Mount House , Myroodah and Noonkanbah Station all of which are cattle stations supplying the beef market. Parts of the shire area have been included in the West Kimberley heritage assessment area. All nine councillors represent
308-585: The extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1995 . The Local Government Act 1995 also makes provision for regional local governments (referred to as "regional councils", established by two or more local governments for a particular purpose. There are three classifications of local government in Western Australia: The Shire of Christmas Island and the Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands are federal external territories and covered by
330-532: The first established was Yeeda Station , taken up in 1880 by the Murray Squatting Company composed of William Paterson, G. Paterson, H. Cornish and Alexander Richardson. The lease for Fossil Downs Station had been issued in 1883 to Dan MacDonald, for an area of 100 square miles (259 km) at the junction of the Margaret and Fitzroy Rivers . The station was established in 1886 when cattle arrived from
352-623: The power of the state to legislate for the territory is a power delegated by the federal government. The kind of services typically provided by a state government elsewhere in Australia are provided by departments of the Western Australian Government, and by contractors, with the costs met by the federal government. There also exists a unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council with seven seats. A full-term lasts four years, though elections are held every two years; approximately half
374-455: The present day. In the 1970s, the scope of local government services expanded to encompass the provision of nursing homes and other forms of aged care. During the late 1980s, and early 1990s a bi-partisan reform process led to the Local Government Act 1995 , which amongst other changes, established for the first time a clear separation of responsibility between elected councillors and local government administration. Other key changes included
396-475: The second Broome Road District (now the Shire of Broome ) on 20 December 1918. It was declared a shire and named the Shire of West Kimberley with effect from 1 July 1961 following the passage of the Local Government Act 1960 , which reformed all remaining road districts into shires. It was renamed the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley on 11 June 1983. The area is home to many large cattle stations, One of
418-764: The total number of authorities has declined only marginally over the last century. The most recent state government led effort to encourage the voluntary amalgamation of 30 metropolitan local governments into 16 was abandoned by the Barnett government in 2014. In 2017, the McGowan government initiated a review process to reform the Local Government Act 1995. The 30 metropolitan local government areas (LGAs) comprise 20 cities, 3 shires, and 7 towns. The 107 non-metropolitan local government areas (LGAs) comprise 7 cities, 99 shires, and 1 town . The Shire of Christmas Island and
440-798: The whole of the Shire. The towns and localities of the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census : Indigenous communities in the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley: As of 2023, 100 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, of which 20 are on the State Register of Heritage Places . 17°23′S 123°41′E / 17.39°S 123.68°E / -17.39; 123.68 Local government areas of Western Australia There are 137 local government areas (LGAs) in Western Australia , which comprise 27 cities, 102 shires, and 8 towns that manage their own affairs to
462-720: Was elected in October 2019. From the 19th century onwards, the islands were owned by the Clunies-Ross family , and in 1886 were granted to them in perpetuity by Queen Victoria . On 23 November 1955 the islands were transferred to Australian control under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955 . In 1978, Australia entered a form of purchase of the islands with the Clunies-Ross family, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Council came into existence in July 1979 as
SECTION 20
#1733202793122484-414: Was termed the “New Order” at the time, and encompassed the development of community centres, infant health clinics and sporting facilities. Only a few cities – Fremantle , Nedlands , Perth , South Perth , and Subiaco – existed prior to 1961. On 1 July 1961, all road districts became shires, and all municipalities became towns or cities. This structure has continued till
#121878