Local government in Australia
Encyclopedia
Local government in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

is the third (and lowest) tier of government, administered by the states and territories
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

 which in turn are beneath the Commonwealth or federal tier. Unlike New Zealand, the US or the UK, there is only one level of local government in all states, with no distinction such as counties and cities. Today, most local governments have equivalent powers within a state, and styles such as "shire" or "city" refer to the nature of the settlements they are based around. There are currently about 700 local councils in Australia.

The local governing body is generally referred to as a council (thus "Burwood Council
Burwood Council
The Municipality of Burwood is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs serviced by Burwood Council are:* Burwood* Burwood Heights* Enfield...

" or "Casey City Council
City of Casey
The City of Casey is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a 2006 census population of 214,960. The municipality's population growth rate during both 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 was...

"), and the territories governed are collectively referred to as "local government areas"; however, terms such as "city" or "shire" also have a geographic interpretation.

Despite the single level of local government in Australia, there exist a number of (often quite extensive) areas with relatively low populations which are not a part of any local government area. Powers of local governments in these areas may be exercised by special purpose bodies established outside of the general legislation (as with Victoria's alpine resorts) or directly by state governments.

Local government in Australia is an exclusive power of the states or territories and therefore the precise nature of local government can differ between each state or territory. Despite this, they occupy a similar role in each state.
  • Local government areas of New South Wales
    Local Government Areas of New South Wales
    The local government areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas...

  • Local government in Victoria
    Local government in Victoria
    There are 79 municipal districts in the Australian state of Victoria, often referred to as local government areas . They are constituted as cities, shires, rural cities and, in one case, a borough...

  • Local government in Queensland
    Local government in Queensland
    Local government in the Australian state of Queensland describes the institutions and processes by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993-2007. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities,...

     (List)
  • Local government areas of Western Australia
    Local Government Areas of Western Australia
    The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...

  • Local government areas of South Australia
    Local Government Areas of South Australia
    This is a list of Local Government Areas in South Australia. The LGAs are grouped by region, as defined by the Local Government Association of South Australia.-LGAs sorted by region:-External links:* *...

  • Local government areas of Tasmania
    Local Government Areas of Tasmania
    - Local Government Areas of Tasmania, Australia :This article also includes lists of towns, suburbs and localities of Tasmania.-Brighton Council:*Hobart suburbs:**Bridgewater - Gagebrook - Old Beach*Brighton*Pontville*Tea Tree-City of Clarence:...

  • Local government areas of the Northern Territory
    Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory
    The local government areas of the Northern Territory, Australia are the areas for which particular Local Government authorities, generally known as "Councils" have the responsibility to provide local government services...

  • The remaining territories are not divided into territory and local government.

Local governments by type and state

Type NSW
Local Government Areas of New South Wales
The local government areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas...

Vic Qld
Local Government Areas of Queensland
This is a list of local government areas in Queensland, sorted by region. For the history and responsibilities of local government in that state, see Local government in Queensland.-LGAs sorted by region:...

WA
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...

SA
Local Government Areas of South Australia
This is a list of Local Government Areas in South Australia. The LGAs are grouped by region, as defined by the Local Government Association of South Australia.-LGAs sorted by region:-External links:* *...

Tas
Local Government Areas of Tasmania
- Local Government Areas of Tasmania, Australia :This article also includes lists of towns, suburbs and localities of Tasmania.-Brighton Council:*Hobart suburbs:**Bridgewater - Gagebrook - Old Beach*Brighton*Pontville*Tea Tree-City of Clarence:...

NT
Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory
The local government areas of the Northern Territory, Australia are the areas for which particular Local Government authorities, generally known as "Councils" have the responsibility to provide local government services...

Total
Boroughs 1 1
Cities 38 33 7 22 21 5 2 128
Councils 28 6 34
District council 35 35
Municipalities 9 19 28
Regional councils 3 29 4 36
Rural cities 6 1 7
Shires 75 39 24 107 10 255
Towns 1 12 2 2 17
Community government councils 2 2
Aboriginal shires 12 12
Island councils 1 1
Unincorporated 2 10 1 5 18
Total 154 79 74 142 64 30 21 564

History

The first official Local Government in Australia was the Adelaide Corporation which was created by the province of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 in October 1840. The City of Melbourne followed 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 the purpose of raising money to build roads in rural and outer-urban regions. Significant reforms took place in the 1980s and 1990s in which state governments brought in notions of metrics and efficiency developed within the private sector to the local government arena; as a result, major amalgamation programmes in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania took place, while minor regional initiatives were deployed in parts of Queensland and New South Wales.

Types of local government

Local governments are subdivisions of the states
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

 and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

. The Australian Capital Territory has no separate local governments; and functions in Canberra and the surrounding area normally performed by state and local governments are performed there by the territorial government of the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

.

Although they are all essentially identical in function, Australian local governments have a variety of names. The term "local government area" is used to refer collectively to all local governments regardless of status, whilst the local governing body itself is generally known as a council. Today, the styles "borough", "city", "district", "municipality", "region", "shire", "town", "community government", "Aboriginal shire" and "Island" are used in addition to areas/councils without a specific style.

In general, an urban or suburban LGA is called a city, as in the City of Parramatta
City of Parramatta
The City of Parramatta is a Local Government Area in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.Initially in 1861 it was formed as Municipality of Parramatta...

 or City of Bunbury
City of Bunbury
The City of Bunbury is a Local Government Area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of along the coast about south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The council is responsible for just over half of the Greater Bunbury metropolitan area, and the Port of Bunbury...

, and is governed by a City Council. A rural LGA covering a larger rural area is usually called a shire, as in Shire of Mornington Peninsula
Shire of Mornington Peninsula
The Shire of Mornington Peninsula is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located to the south of the city of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. It has an area of 723 square kilometres...

 or Lachlan Shire
Lachlan Shire
Lachlan Shire is a Local Government Area in the Central West of New South Wales on the Lachlan River and the Broken Hill railway line.The largest town and council seat is Condobolin. The Shire also includes the towns and villages of Tottenham, Lake Cargelligo, Tullibigeal, Albert, Burcher and...

, and is governed by a Shire Council.

Sometimes words other than "City" or "Shire" will be used in the names of LGAs. The word "Municipality" occurs regularly: in New South Wales, it is typically used for older urban areas, but in rural Tasmania municipalities resemble standard shires, and the word is also used for several rural towns in South Australia. Some rural areas in South Australia are known as "District Councils", while larger rural towns and small metropolitan centres in Queensland and Western Australia simply use the term "Town". New South Wales and Queensland have introduced a new term, "Region", for LGAs formed by the amalgamation of smaller shires and rural cities. Historically, the word "Borough" was common for small towns and metropolitan areas in Victoria, but only the Borough of Queenscliffe
Borough of Queenscliffe
The Borough of Queenscliffe is a municipality in Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the south coast, south-east of Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula south of Swan Bay and next to the Port Phillip Heads, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait.The Borough has an area of...

 remains. In New South Wales, where the Local Government Act in force does not require a designation, some local governments are legally known simply as "Councils", e.g. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council or Pittwater Council
Pittwater Council
Pittwater Council is a Local Government Area on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs which comprise the Pittwater LGA were detached from the Warringah local government area in 1993...

.

Almost all local councils have 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
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 or shire president responsible for chairing meetings of the council. In some councils, the mayor is a directly elected figure, but in most cases the mayor is elected by their fellow councillors from among their own number. The powers of mayors vary as well. In some states such as Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, the mayors have broad executive functions, whereas in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 mayors are essentially ceremonial figureheads who can only exercise power at the discretion of the council.

Constitutional position of local government

Local government powers are determined by state governments, and states have primary responsibility for funding and exclusive responsibility for supervision of local councils.

There is no explicit mention of local government at all in the Australian constitution, although they are mentioned in the constitutions of each of the six states. A 1988 referendum
Australian referendum, 1988 (Local Government)
The Australian Constitution recognises Government at Federal and State levels, but makes no mention of local government. Constitution Alteration 1988 proposed to alter the constitution so as to recognise local government...

 sought to explicitly insert mention of local government in the federal constitution but this was comprehensively defeated. Federal government interaction with local councils happens regularly through the provision of federal grants to help fund local government managed projects.

Powers and functions

All local governments are approximately equal in their theoretical powers, although LGAs that encompass large cities such as Brisbane
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is the Local Government Area that has jurisdiction over the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...

 and Gold Coast Cities 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 state or territory government rather than by local councils.

The councils' chief responsibilities are usually provision of community facilities such as libraries and parks, maintenance of local roads, town planning and development approvals, and local services such as waste disposal. These are financed by collection of local land taxes known as "rates," and grants from the state and Commonwealth governments. They are caricatured as being concerned only with the "three Rs": Rates, Roads and Rubbish. Their limited powers, small outlook and dependence on other bodies to continue operation means local government in Australia is often criticised as being petty, backward and even unnecessary.

Recent years have seen some State governments devolving additional powers onto LGAs. In Queensland LGAs have been granted the power to independently enact their own local legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

, 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
Regional Organisations of Councils
Regional Organisations of Councils – sometimes called Voluntary Regional Organisations of Councils – are voluntary groupings of councils in Australia...

.

See also

  • Government of Australia
    Government of Australia
    The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

  • States and territories of Australia
    States and territories of Australia
    The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

  • Australian Local Government Association
    Australian Local Government Association
    The Australian Local Government Association is the national voice of local government, representing 560 councils across the country.In structure, ALGA is a federation of state and territory local government associations...

  • Regional Organisations of Councils
    Regional Organisations of Councils
    Regional Organisations of Councils – sometimes called Voluntary Regional Organisations of Councils – are voluntary groupings of councils in Australia...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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