Goulburn Mulwaree Council

The area covered under administration is 3,220 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi) and includes Goulburn and the towns and localities of:

Parts of the Southern Highlands, the Southern Tablelands and Morton National Park lie within the Goulburn Mulwaree Council area.

The oldest habitation sites discovered in the region date back to 3000–5000 years ago. Two distinct aboriginal language groups were identified in the region when the Europeans initiated contact. These were the Gandangara and the Ngunnawal groups which were connected through common beliefs and culture. The first Europeans to visit Goulburn Mulwaree were John Wilson and John Price. Colonies were established here during 1817-1820 due to the grazing potential of the Southern Tablelands.[4]

The council was formed as the Greater Argyle Council in 2004 as an amalgamation of Goulburn City and parts of the former Mulwaree Shire. It was renamed in 2005 following objections from the community.

During 2011 - 2013, Goulburn Mulwaree Council has been at the centre of alleged breaches [5] of NSW Council Rules and Regulations. In late 2013, a Government investigation by the New South Wales State Government found that the Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s Multi-Use Centre Tendering Process breached established State Regulations, ruling that: "[Goulburn Mulwaree] Council contravened regulations, ignored tendering guidelines and offered unfair advantage to two tenderers including the successful tenderer, Bathurst firm, Hines Constructions." [6] The Investigation prompted multiple Council Internal Reform suggestions, as well as prompting the Council's General Manager Performance Review Committee to suspend the automatic employment renewal of Mr Chris Berry, the then General Manager of Goulburn Mulwaree Council, in September 2013.[7]

In 2011, Goulburn Mulwaree Council partnered with Veolia Environmental Services in seed funding to make up $10,000 for an art award through the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery. The Award, known as the Veolia Environmental Services Art Award, prompted condemnation from the peak body for Australian visual and media arts (The National Association for Visual Artists or NAVA), as well as an independent investigation after multiple complaints alleging the winning entry breached the stipulated entry conditions.[8] The Investigation, completed by Planning, Environmental and Economic Consulting, resulted in a 22-page report where: "The consultant recommended that Council make a public statement to acknowledge grievances and the necessary improvements. Secondly, gallery staff should be proactive in engaging professionals, galleries and judges to develop and benchmark the entry and judging criteria." [8] Veolia Environmental Services discontinued its annual $10,000 support for the Award in 2012.