Bayside Council

Bayside Council is a local government area located around Botany Bay which is split between the eastern suburbs and St George areas of Sydney, located between 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the CBD[3] in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 9 September 2016 from the merger of the City of Botany Bay and the Rockdale City Councils.[4]

Bayside Council
New South Wales
Rockdale Town Hall
Population
 • Density3,120/km2 (8,100/sq mi)
Established9 September 2016 (2016-09-09)
Area50 km2 (19.3 sq mi)
MayorJoe Awada
Council seatRockdale Town Hall
RegionMetropolitan Sydney
(St George,
Eastern Suburbs)
ParishBotany, St George
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
WebsiteBayside Council
LGAs around Bayside Council:
Inner West Sydney Randwick
Canterbury-Bankstown Bayside Council Randwick
Georges River Sutherland

The Council comprises an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had a population of 156,058.[5][1]

The Mayor of Bayside Council is Joe Awada, a member of the Australian Labor Party, who was elected at the Council meeting on 25 September 2019.[6]

Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the Bayside Council area are:

Bayside Council also manages and maintains the following localities:

  • Bardwell Creek
  • Bado-berong Creek
  • Cooks Cove
  • Lady Robinson Beach
  • Landing Lights Wetland (Riverine Park Wetlands)
  • Muddy Creek
  • Rockdale Bicentennial Park
  • Rocky Point
  • Sandringham Bay
  • St Kilda Point
  • Sydney Airport Wetlands
  • Wolli Creek Valley

History

Rockdale

The City of Rockdale was originally proclaimed as the "Municipal District of West Botany" on 13 January 1871.[7] From 1872, Council met in the first Council Chambers, a small purpose-built stone building on the western side of Rocky Point Road, Arncliffe. It continued in use until 11 December 1888, when a new Town Hall was opened on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, Rockdale.[8] By the time the neighbouring Boroughs of Botany and North Botany (Mascot from 1911) were proclaimed on 29 March 1888, it was clear that a name change was desirable. On 17 May 1888 the Parliament of New South Wales passed the Rockdale Municipality Naming Act (No.33, 1888), and West Botany became the "Municipal District of Rockdale".[9] The 1887 Town Hall was replaced by the current Rockdale Town Hall in 1940, and was designed by Rockdale architect Douglas Gardiner.[10] Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the Municipality of Bexley, which was located immediately to the West and had separated from Hurstville in 1900, became the First Ward of Rockdale Municipality.[11] Rockdale was declared a city in 1995 as the "City of Rockdale".[12][13]

Botany

The City of Botany Bay was first proclaimed on 29 March 1888 as the "Borough of Botany", and met from 1899 to 2016 in the Botany Town Hall.[14][15] The northern section of the City of Botany Bay was first incorporated as the "Borough of North Botany" on 29 March 1888.[16] From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the councils were renamed as the "Municipality of North Botany" and the "Municipality of Botany". The Municipality of North Botany was renamed as the "Municipality of Mascot" on 31 October 1911.[17] Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the Municipality of Mascot was amalgamated into Botany, within a reconstituted Municipality of Botany. Botany remained a municipality until 11 May 1996, when it was proclaimed the "City of Botany Bay".[18]

Establishment of Bayside Council

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Botany Bay amalgamate with the City of Rockdale to form a new Council with an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 153,000.[19]

There was significant community opposition to the merger from within both communities. In Botany Bay, residents were given the chance to have their say in a community poll which was held on 27 February 2016.[20] Ultimately 97.8 per cent of Botany Bay residents voted 'no' when asked the question 'Do you agree that the City of Botany Bay should merge with Rockdale City Council?'.[21] Rockdale City Council indicated their preference to merge with the City of Kogarah and the City of Hurstville, forming a single "St George Council".[22][23] Botany Bay also attempted to seek a compromise by proposing to merge with the City of Randwick and parts of the City of Sydney.[24][25]

With the proclamation of the majority of Council amalgamations on 12 May 2016, the City of Botany Bay Council appealed the decision in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, thereby delaying the proposed amalgamation until a decision was made by the Court. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal in early September 2016, and the Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole, moved quickly to proclaim the formation of Bayside Council on 9 September 2016, with the former Administrator of Central Darling Shire, Greg Wright, appointed as the Administrator.[4][26][27][28] On 9 September 2017, the first Council consisting of fifteen Councillors across 5 wards was elected, and the former Mayor of Rockdale, Bill Saravinovski, was elected as the first Mayor on 27 September.[29][30]

The early period of the council was punctuated by revelations of the extent of issues inherited from the former Botany Bay Council, including an antiquated vehicle fleet costing millions of dollars to replace, and the legacy of ICAC investigations that uncovered the significant misappropriation of funds and fraud by former Botany Bay Council employees, which had led to 12 individuals being recommended for prosecution.[31][32] The first Mayor of Bayside Council, Bill Saravinovski, in particular noted that, "The legacy of the misappropriations and costs of remediation result[ed] in a net fund deficit of $17 million, placing Bayside Council at a significant disadvantage".[33][34][35]

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 156,058 people in the Bayside local government area; of these 49.5 per cent were male and 50.5 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.0 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in Bayside Council was 35 years; slightly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 61.6 per cent were married and 7.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[5][1]

At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Bayside local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 29 per cent of all residents. In excess of 51 per cent of all residents in Bayside Council nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was below the national average of 57.7 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Bayside local government area had a lower than average proportion (20.7 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (41.1 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent).[5][1]

Selected historical census data for Bayside Council local government area
Census year2016[5][1]
PopulationEstimated residents on census night156,058
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales17th
% of New South Wales population2.09%
% of Australian population0.67%
Estimated ATSI population on census night1,555
% of ATSI population to residents1.00%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
English14.95%
Australian14.80%
Chinese13.81%
Greek8.98%
Lebanese5.10%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Greek7.06%
Mandarin6.71%
Arabic5.85%
Cantonese3.80%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Catholic23.55%
No religion, as described20.49%
Eastern Orthodox12.54%
Not stated9.44%
Islam8.72%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$693
% of Australian median income104.68%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$1,833
% of Australian median income105.71%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$1,601
% of Australian median income111.34%

Council

The Bayside Council comprises fifteen Councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017 the current council was elected for a fixed three-year term of office.[4] The Mayor is elected bi-annually and Deputy Mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the Council.[26]

MayorTermNotes
AdministratorGreg Wright9 September 2016 – 27 September 2017GM Camden 2004–12, Broken Hill 2013,
Administrator Central Darling 2013–16.[26][36][37][38]
MayorBill Saravinovski27 September 2017 – 25 September 2019Mayor of Rockdale 2015–2016[30]
Joe Awada25 September 2019 – date[6]
Deputy MayorJoe Awada27 September 2017 – 25 September 2019Rockdale Fourth Ward Councillor 2004–2016[30]
James Macdonald25 September 2019 – date[6]
General ManagerTermNotes
Meredith Wallace9 September 2016 – dateGeneral Manager of Rockdale 2011–2016[26][39]

Current composition

The most recent election was held on 9 September 2017, and the makeup of the Council, by order of election, is as follows:

PartyCouncillors
  Australian Labor Party 7
  Liberal Party of Australia 5
  Independents 3
Total 15
WardCouncillorPartyNotes
Ward 1[40]   Christina Curry Labor Botany Bay Ward Three Councillor 2012–2016
  Scott Morrissey Labor
  Paul Sedrak Liberal Rockdale Fourth Ward Councillor 2012–2016
Ward 2[41]   Tarek Ibrahim Labor Rockdale Second Ward Councillor 2012–2016
  Michael Nagi Liberal Rockdale Deputy Mayor 2015–2016
  Dorothy Rapisardi Labor
Ward 3[42]   Bill Saravinovski Labor Mayor 2017–2019[30]
  Petros Kalligas Liberal Rockdale Second Ward Councillor 2012–2016
  Andrew Tsounis Independent Rockdale First Ward Councillor 2012–2016
Ward 4[43]   Joe Awada Labor Mayor 2019–date; Deputy Mayor 2017–2019[30][6]
  Liza Barlow Independent Rockdale Deputy Mayor 2012–2015
  Ron Bezic Liberal Rockdale Fifth Ward Councillor 2012–2016
Ward 5[44]   Ed McDougall Labor
  Vicki Poulos Liberal
  James Macdonald Independent Deputy Mayor 2019–date; Rockdale Deputy Mayor 2010–2011

Ward names

Owing to a perceived confusion over the ward names, particularly from members of the public not able to distinguish between their ward and their suburb, at its meeting on 14 November 2018, Bayside Council voted to exhibit changes to the ward names: "Port Botany Ward" to Ward 1, "Mascot Ward" to Ward 2, "Rockdale Ward" to Ward 3, "Bexley Ward" to Ward 4, and "Botany Bay Ward" to Ward 5.[45] At the subsequent meeting on 13 February 2019, Bayside Council voted to adopt these changes, despite the public consultation resulting in 69% of 83 submissions not supporting the change of ward names to numbers.[46]

In August 2017, Bayside Council selected its new logo via a public competition and vote, with Mascot resident, Ray Kurniawan's design winning.[47] The logo depicts a sailing boat above water, with Kurniawan describing its symbolism: "The idea to use the boat came from the idea that to move forward in a boat everyone has to row together. Bayside is a new community and to move forward everyone needs to work together".[48]

See also

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Rockdale (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
  3. "Merger Proposal:City of Botany Bay Council & Rockdale City Council" (PDF). NSW Government. January 2016. p. 13. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  4. "Bayside Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Botany Bay (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  6. "Joe Awada named new mayor of Bayside Council". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  7. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette (8). New South Wales, Australia. 13 January 1871. p. 99. Retrieved 17 March 2019 via National Library of Australia.
  8. "ROCKDALE TOWN HALL". The Australian Star (323). New South Wales, Australia. 13 December 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2019 via National Library of Australia.
  9. "No. XXXIII. An Act to alter the name of the Municipal District of West Botany. [Assented to, 17th May, 1888.]". New South Wales Government Gazette (323). New South Wales, Australia. 21 May 1888. p. 3505. Retrieved 17 March 2019 via National Library of Australia.
  10. "BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 16 January 1940. p. 7. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. "3804 Municipality of Bexley". State Records Archives Investigator. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  12. Horne, Paul. A Century of Progress Rockdale 1871–1971. Lane Cove: Rockdale Municipal Council.
  13. Geeves, Phillip; Jervis, J (1986). Rockdale: its beginning and development (Revised ed.).
  14. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette (216). New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1888. p. 2404. Retrieved 14 October 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  15. "MUNICIPALITY OF BOTANY". New South Wales Government Gazette (539). New South Wales, Australia. 21 August 1888. p. 5893. Retrieved 14 October 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  16. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette (216). New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1888. p. 2404. Retrieved 3 November 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  17. "Changing boundaries, changing names: the history behind Bayside Council". History At Bayside. Bayside Council. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  18. "History". City of Botany Bay. Archived from the original on 22 June 2000. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  19. "Merger proposal: City of Botany Bay Council, Rockdale City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  20. Trembath, Murray (29 February 2016). "Botany Bay says 'I don't' to Rockdale". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  21. "Council Community Poll 2016". Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  22. Galinovic, Maria (3 February 2016). "Kogarah and Hurstville Council amalgamation talks continue". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  23. Bliss, Raylene (8 March 2016). "BOTANY BAY, ROCKDALE, KOGARAH AND HURSTVILLE CALL FOR MINISTER TO QUASH AIRPORT COUNCIL MERGER PROPOSAL". Southern Courier. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  24. "Randwick mayor wanted merger 20 years ago". Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  25. Needham, Kirsty (11 January 2016). "Council merger blueprint claims Rabbitohs heartland as Sydney Roosters gain". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  26. "Local Government (Bayside) Proclamation 2016 [NSW]". Parliament of New South Wales. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  27. Franks, Rebecca (9 September 2016). "Botany Bay Council and Rockdale are merged together, Local Government Minister announces". Southern Courier. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  28. Franks, Rebecca (13 September 2016). "A "fresh start" for Botany Bay as Bayside Council takes centre stage". Southern Courier. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  29. Franks, Rebecca (15 September 2017). "Bayside Council election results finalised following pre-poll and preferences count". Southern Courier. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  30. Beichert, Kahlia (27 September 2017). "Bill Saravinovski is Bayside Council mayor". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  31. Saulwick, Jacob (30 January 2017). "Botany council merger exposes a vehicle fleet held together with gaffer tape". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  32. Robertson, James (26 July 2017). "$5 million in bogus invoices: ICAC finds former Botany Bay CFO, 11 others, acted corruptly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  33. Gainsford, Jim (15 March 2018). "Bayside cannot correct "past failings" of former Botany Bay Council, report says". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  34. Gainsford, Jim (27 February 2018). "Bayside Council takes delivery of $3million in new work vehicles to replace "worst and oldest council fleet"". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  35. Visentin, Lisa (12 March 2018). "Bayside Council still reeling from corruption in former council". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  36. Beichert, Kahlia (22 September 2016). "Bayside Administrator Greg Wright hits the ground running". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  37. "Central Darling Shire administrator reassures council staff". ABC News. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  38. Boisvert, Eugene (3 April 2013). "New city manager sacked from previous job". ABC News. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  39. Beichert, Kahlia (22 June 2017). "Bayside Council general manager on her road from library assistant to leader". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  40. "Bayside - Port Botany Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  41. "Bayside - Mascot Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  42. "Bayside - Rockdale Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  43. "Bayside - Bexley Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  44. "Bayside - Botany Bay Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  45. "Renaming our wards". Have Your Say Bayside Council. Bayside Council. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  46. "8.17 Renaming of Bayside Wards - Post Public Exhibition" (PDF). Minutes of Council Meeting. Bayside Council. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  47. Beichert, Kahlia (10 August 2017). "Bayside Council unveils new logo". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  48. "Council announces new logo winner" (Media Release). Bayside Council. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.

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