City of Geraldton-Greenough

The City of Geraldton-Greenough was a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covered an area of 1,798.3 square kilometres (694.3 sq mi), and its seat of government was the town of Geraldton.

This article is about a local government area. For the city, see Geraldton.

City of Geraldton Greenough
Western Australia
Location in Western Australia
Population39,404 (2011)[1]
 • Density21.9118/km2 (56.7513/sq mi)
Established2007
Abolished2011
Area1,798.3 km2 (694.3 sq mi)
Council seatGeraldton
RegionMid West
LGAs around City of Geraldton Greenough:
Indian Ocean Chapman Valley Mullewa
Indian Ocean City of Geraldton Greenough Mullewa
Indian Ocean Irwin Irwin

In existence for exactly four years, it was established on 1 July 2007 through the amalgamation of the former City of Geraldton and Shire of Greenough, and itself amalgamated with the Shire of Mullewa into the City of Greater Geraldton on 1 July 2011.

History

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.

The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal.[2] However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.[3]

The councillors of both local government authorities resigned at the end of April 2007, and elections for the new local government took place in October 2007. The entity was managed by three commissioners in the interim, headed by Jeff Carr, who was the state member for Geraldton from 1974 until 1991.

Throughout 2010 and 2011 negotiations were held between the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shire of Mullewa as to whether the two entities should merge. After a long period of negotiations the entities decided to merge. A poll was requested by both communities and was held on 16 April 2011. 83.24% of voters voted against the merger in Mullewa, with 72.39% of voters against the merger in Geraldton-Greenough. However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% turnout required to be a valid poll. The two entities will merge on 1 July 2011 to become the City of Greater Geraldton.[4]

Abolishment

The Liberal government announced its intentions to amalgamate local governments around the state in line with reforms undertaken elsewhere in Australia. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed, but a number of local governments commenced negotiations for voluntary mergers. One such group included the City, the Shire of Chapman Valley and the Shire of Mullewa. In February 2010, Chapman Valley decided not to proceed, citing community opposition.[5][6] In December 2010, the Local Government Advisory Board approved the merger.[7] Polls were held in both municipalities, with 72.61% of voters in Geraldton-Greenough and 83.23% of voters in Mullewa voting against the merger.[8] However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% required to be a valid poll, and the City of Greater Geraldton came into being on 1 July 2011.

Wards

The City was divided into six wards, each with two councillors.[9] The Local Government Advisory Board recommended that the mayor be elected from amongst the councillors, as opposed to a directly elected mayor such as the former City of Geraldton.

Suburbs

Towns

Population

The historic populations of the area which formed Geraldton-Greenough were:

Year Population Geraldton Greenough
19215,5494,1741,375
19336,5404,9841,556
19477,5395,9721,567
19549,6808,3091,371
196112,21510,8941,321
196613,71912,1251,594
197117,03815,1181,920
197620,64217,6632,979
198123,70819,0964,612
198625,72119,9235,798
199128,14720,5217,626
199630,06119,72410,337
200131,10619,17911,927
200632,46118,91613,545

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (30 March 2012). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2010–11 – Western Australia". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  2. Western Australian Electoral Commission (2 December 2006). "Greenough – Voting in Person Referendum". Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2007.
  3. Local Government Advisory Board (December 2006). "Inquiry Reports – Geraldton Greenough Inquiry Report". Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2007.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Local mergers 'doomed from beginning'". ABC News. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  6. "Councils push ahead with merger deal". ABC News. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  7. Local Government Advisory Board (December 2010). "Assessment of the Proposals for Amalgamation and Boundary Amendments involving the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shires of Mullewa and Chapman Valley". Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  8. Western Australian Electoral Commission (16 April 2011). Mullewa Archived 14 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine and Geraldton-Greenough Archived 14 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine results. Accessed 26 July 2011.
  9. "Local Government Act 1995 – City of Geraldton-Greenough (Creation) Order 2007" (PDF). Western Australia Government Gazette. 30 March 2007. pp. 2007:1458–1468. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.

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