Georges River Council is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

located in the St George region of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

located south of the CBD, in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the Kogarah City Council and Hurstville City Council. The Council comprises an area of and as at the had a population of . The mayor of Georges River Council is Nick Katris, who was elected by his fellow councillors on 30 December 2021.

Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the Georges River Council area are: Georges River Council also manages and maintains the following localities:

Demographics

At the , there were people resident in the Georges River local government area; of these 48.9 per cent were male and 51.1 per cent were female.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

made up 0.5 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

age of people in Georges River Council was 37 years; marginally lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 16.8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.3 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 53.1 per cent were married and 9.1 per cent were either divorced or separated. At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Georges River local government area who stated their

ancestry An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

or Anglo-Saxon approached 29 per cent of all residents. In excess of 51 per cent of all residents in Georges River Council nominated a

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

affiliation with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

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 Georges River local government area had a significantly higher than average proportion (56.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (42.3 per cent) where

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent).

Council

Georges River Council comprises fifteen

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office, with the first term to last for three years. The

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

is elected by Councillors for a period of two years, the Deputy Mayor is elected for one year. The council first met in the Kogarah Civic Centre on 19 May 2016 and the new seat of the council is the Georges River Civic Centre (formerly Hurstville Civic Centre) in MacMahon Street, Hurstville.

Current composition

The most recent full council election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the Council by order of election, is as follows:

Council logo

On 3 April 2017, Georges River Council adopted its new logo and branding as required by the NSW state government proclamation. The logo, one of three designed by council staff, was adopted following a community consultation process which looked at the three options. The successful choice, featuring a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

(which is representative of the St George region and appeared on Hurstville council's logo and coat of arms), was chosen due to "perceived meaning, diversity, relevance to the local area including connections to St George and the logo’s representation to the community including links to multiculturalism and

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

". The consultations resulted in several changes before its unveiling, including changing the direction of the dragon, the adoption of the red colour from the interim council typeface logo used since amalgamation, and the addition of a

Port Jackson fig ''Ficus rubiginosa'', the rusty fig or Port Jackson fig (''damun'' in the Dharug language), is a species of flowering plant native to eastern Australia in the genus ''Ficus''. Beginning as a seedling that grows on other plants ( hemiepiphyte) ...

tree leaf motif, to represent the indigenous heritage of the area.

History

Early history

The traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the land now in the Georges River Council area were thought to be the

Cadigal The Cadigal, also spelled as Gadigal and Caddiegal, are a group of Indigenous people whose traditional lands are located in Gadi, on Eora country, the location of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Gadigal originally inhabited the area t ...

and Biddegal

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

people.

Local government history

13 - St George County Council (6433395943)

The "Municipal District of Kogarah" was proclaimed on 23 December 1885 and the District’s boundaries commenced at the intersection of the Illawarra Railway Line with the northern shore of George’s River. The Municipal District was re-named the "Municipality of Kogarah" following the passage of the ''Municipalities Act, 1897'' on 6 December 1897. On 22 December 1916 and 1 January 1969, parts of Rockdale Municipality were transferred to Kogarah. In 1993, following the passing of the new Local Government Act, the Municipality of Kogarah became known as "Kogarah Council". Kogarah Council was proclaimed a city in 2008. In December 1920, Kogarah combined with the councils of Rockdale, Hurstville, and

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

to form the

St George County Council ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

. The elected County Council was established to provide electricity to the Kogarah, Rockdale, Hurstville, and Bexley areas and ceased to exist when it was amalgamated with the Sydney County Council on 1 January 1980. On 25 March 1887 the

NSW Government Gazette The ''Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales'', also known as the ''New South Wales Government Gazette'', is the government gazette of the Government of New South Wales in Australia. The ''Gazette'' is managed by the New South Wales ...

published a proclamation declaring the "Municipal District of Hurstville". On 28 June 1900, a further proclamation declared Bexley Ward of Hurstville be separated and named the Borough of Bexley. On 28 June 1900 a new proclamation declared the "Municipality of Hurstville". On 2 August 1922, a part of Hurstville was transferred to the

Sutherland Shire Sutherland Shire is a local government area in the southern region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland Shire comprises an area of and as at the had an estimated population of . Sutherland Shire is colloquially ...

, on 5 December 1924 part of Canterbury Municipality was transferred to Hurstville, and on 1 January 1931 part of Hurstville was given to Kogarah Municipality. On 25 November 1988 Hurstville was proclaimed a city, becoming the "Hurstville City Council". Efforts to bring about a unified council for the St George area were raised regularly since 1901 and the 1946 Clancy Royal Commission into local government boundaries recommended the amalgamation of the municipalities of Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale and Bexley. In the following act of parliament passed in December 1948, the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the recommendations of the commission were modified, leading only to the merger of Bexley and Rockdale councils. A merger was again considered in the 1970s, but 1977 plebiscites run in Hustville and Kogarah rejected the idea. A further idea of amalgamating Kogarah and Hurstville with Sutherland Shire to the south was raised in 1999 but did not progress.

Establishment of Georges River Council

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that Kogarah merge with Hurstville to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately 147,000. However these proposals met with some opposition, including those in favour of a single "St George Council" combining Hurstville, Kogarah and Rockdale (which was to amalgamate with the

City of Botany Bay The City of Botany Bay was a local government area in the eastern region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area encompassed the suburbs to the north of Botany Bay, such as Botany. First proclaimed in 1888 as the "Boro ...

). Despite these concerns however, on 12 May 2016, with the release of the ''Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016'', the Georges River Council was formed from Hurstville and Kogarah city councils, with former Sutherland Shire General Manager, John Rayner as administrator. The first meeting of the Georges River Council was held at Kogarah Civic Centre on 19 May 2016.

Heritage listings

The Georges River Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Beverly Hills, East Hills railway:

Beverly Hills railway station Beverly Hills railway station is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now railway station located on the East Hills line, serving the Sydney suburb of Beverly Hills in the Georges River Council local government area of New South Wales, ...

* Blakehurst, 9 Stuart Crescent: Thurlow House * Carss Park, 74 Carwar Avenue: Carss Cottage * Oatley, Illawarra railway: Oatley railway station * Oatley, over Georges River:

Old Como railway bridge The Old Como railway bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now footbridge and water main carrier over the Georges River between Como and Oatley in the Sutherland Shire Council and Georges River Council local government areas of ...

* Penshurst, 663-665 King Georges Road:

West Maling West Maling is a heritage-listed former residence and now ecclesiastical centre and administration building located at 663-665 King Georges Road, Penshurst, Georges River Council, New South Wales, Australia. Its design is attributed to Richar ...

* Penshurst, Laycock Road:

Penshurst Reservoirs The Penshurst Reservoirs are heritage-listed reservoirs located at Laycock Road, Penshurst in the Georges River Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. They were designed and built during 1895 by the NSW Public Works Depa ...

References

External Links

Georges River Council Website
{{NSW Local Government amalgamations 2016, state=collapsed Local government areas in Sydney 2016 establishments in Australia Georges River