City of Warrnambool

The City of Warrnambool is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of 121 square kilometres (47 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 34,862.[1] It is entirely surrounded by the Shire of Moyne and the Southern Ocean. It is one of only a few regional councils in Victoria to remain serving just one urban district after the amalgamation process of 1994, although through that process it did gained some portions of the former Shire of Warrnambool.[2]

This article is about a local government area. For the locality, see Warrnambool, Victoria.

City of Warrnambool
Victoria
Location in Victoria
Population34,862 (2018)[1]
 • Density288.1/km2 (746.2/sq mi)
Established1855
Gazetted23 September 1994[2]
Area121 km2 (46.7 sq mi)[1]
MayorVicki Jellie[3]
Council seatWarrnambool
RegionBarwon South West
State electorate(s)South-West Coast
Federal Division(s)Wannon
WebsiteCity of Warrnambool
LGAs around City of Warrnambool:
Moyne Moyne Moyne
Moyne City of Warrnambool Moyne
Southern Ocean Southern Ocean Southern Ocean

The City is governed and administered by the Warrnambool City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in the central district of Warrnambool. The City is named after the main urban settlement located in the centre of the LGA, that is Warrnambool, which is also the LGA's most populous urban centre with a population of 28,413.[4]

History

Warrnambool was first incorporated as a municipality on 7 December 1855. It became a borough on 1 October 1863, and a town on 2 February 1883. It was proclaimed as a city on 8 April 1918. On 25 October 1955 and 1 October 1978, it annexed part of the south riding of the Shire of Warrnambool, expanding its area progressively to 34.43 square kilometres (13.29 sq mi) by the time of Victoria's local government amalgamations.[5]

In 1993, the new Kennett Liberal government announced a program of local government reform, in which many of Victoria's 210 councils were to be amalgamated. The southwest region containing 23 councils was the first to be reviewed, and the City of Warrnambool sought to be part of the process early on. Warrnambool's strength in tertiary education and manufacturing was taken into account.[6] By June, it was clear that Warrnambool would be the only municipality in the region to be spared, and that it would gain Allansford and some other rural areas from the Shire of Warrnambool.[7] On 23 September 1994, the council was dismissed and replaced with a Government-appointed commissioner.[8] It first held elections for a new council in March 1996.[9]

Council

Current composition

The council is composed of seven councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.[10]

The most recent council election was declared on 10 November 2020,[11] with the Councillors sworn into office on 23 November 2020.[12] At their first meeting, Councillors resolved to elect both a Mayor and Deputy Mayor, each for a term of 12 months.[13]

WardCouncillorNotes
Unsubdivided  Vicki JellieMayor (2020–21)
 Otha Akoch
 Angie Paspaliaris
 Debbie Arnott
 Ben Blain
 Max Taylor
 Richard Ziegeler Deputy Mayor (2020–21)

Former wards

Prior to the statewide amalgamations of the 1990s, the council had four wards and twelve councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward; the former wards were Albert, Hopkins, Merri and Victoria.[5] The new council then had, until 2004, seven wards and seven councillors, with one councillor per ward elected to represent each ward. However post-2004, following an electoral representation review, the decision was made to keep the seven councillors, but abolish the wards, as the review concluded that the geography and natural features of Warrnambool didn't support the retention of equal wards, and that the City of Warrnambool as a whole was a single community of interest.[14]

Former wards from 1996 to 2004:

  • Botanic Ward
  • Cassady Ward
  • Levy Ward
  • Pertobe Ward
  • Proudfoot Ward
  • Sherwood Ward
  • Wollaston Ward

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Warrnambool Civic Centre, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre in Warrnambool.

Geography

The City of Warrnambool is dominated by the Warrnambool urban area, which represents 35.0 square kilometres (13.5 sq mi), or 29.0%, of the City's area and at the 2006 census had a population of 28,150.[15]

Other towns within the City's area include:

See also

References
  1. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S63 of 1994". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 23 September 1994). pp. 5–6. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. https://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/news/new-mayor-and-deputy-mayor
  4. Census QuickStats (2011). "Warrnambool (SS) – SSC21434". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Government of Australia. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. Victorian Municipal Directory. Brunswick: Arnall & Jackson. 1992. pp. 518–519. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
  6. Taylor, Thomas (26 February 1994). "Bush councils in Victoria's southwest face a shakeup". The Age. p. 1.
  7. Gettler, Leon (17 June 1994). "23 councils become 8 in board's proposal". The Age. p. 7.
  8. Gettler, Leon (24 September 1994). "Councils merged and rates frozen". The Age. p. 10.
  9. Australian Bureau of Statistics (1 August 1995). Victorian local government amalgamations 1994–1995: Changes to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 11. ISBN 0-642-23117-6. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  10. "Warrnambool City Council". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  11. "Warrnambool City Council election results 2020". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  12. "Results of the Warrnambool City Council 2020 election". www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  13. "New mayor and deputy mayor". www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  14. Victorian Electoral Commission (10 May 2004). "Final Report – Electoral Representation Review – Warrnambool City Council" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  15. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Warrnambool (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 March 2008. Map

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