City of Greater Geelong

City of Greater Geelong Victoria
Location of the City of Greater Geelong in Victoria
Geelong Town Hall, 2007
Population	229,420 (2015)[1] (12th)
• Density	183.98/km2 (476.50/sq mi)
Established	1993
Gazetted	18 May 1993[2]
Area	1,247 km2 (481.5 sq mi)
Chairperson	Dr Kathy Alexander
Council seat	Geelong city centre
Region	Barwon South West
State electorate(s)	Bellarine Geelong Lara South Barwon
Federal Division(s)	Corangamite Corio
Website	City of Greater Geelong
LGAs around City of Greater Geelong: Golden Plains Moorabool Wyndham Golden Plains City of Greater Geelong Port Phillip Bay Surf Coast Bass Strait Queenscliffe

The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 1,247 square kilometres (481 sq mi) and, at the 2011 Census, had a population of 210,875.^[3] It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Geelong urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Anakie, Balliang, Barwon Heads, Batesford, Ceres, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Lara, Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards. It was formed in 1993 from the amalgamation of the Rural City of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong, City of Geelong West, City of Newtown, City of South Barwon, and parts of Shire of Barrabool and Shire of Bannockburn.^[2]

The City is governed and administered by the Greater Geelong City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Geelong, it also has service centres located in Drysdale, Ocean Grove and several other locations within Geelong. The City is named after the main urban settlement located in the centre-west of the LGA, that is Geelong, which is also the LGA's most populous urban centre with a population of 143,921.^[4]

History of former municipalities

• 1838 – Geelong (Aboriginal word for 'Ocean') region declared a town
• 1849 – Geelong incorporated as a town
• 1853 – Barrabool declared a road district
• 1854 – Bellarine declared a road district
• 1857 – South Barwon a separate district
• 1858 – Newtown and Chilwell a borough
• 1862 – Bannockburn a road district
• 1863 – Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale separates from Bellarine to form the Borough of Queenscliffe
• 1863 – South Barwon a borough
• 1864 – Corio and Bannockburn made shires
• 1865 – Bellarine a shire
• 1872 – South Barwon a shire
• 1875 – West Geelong a borough
• 1910 – Geelong a city
• 1915 – Meredith added to Bannockburn Shire
• 1922 – West Geelong a town
• 1924 – Newtown and Chilwell a town
• 1929 – West Geelong a city
• 1959 – Newtown and Chilwell a city
• 1967 – Newtown discarded Chilwell from its title as a city
• 1974 – South Barwon a city
• 1993 – City of Greater Geelong formed

Sourced from Appendix V, A Journey to Destiny 1890–1990 – 100 Years of Cement Manufacturing at Fyansford by Australian Cement Limited .^[5]

Council

Administrators

In December 2015, the Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins appointed a Commission of Inquiry into the Greater Geelong City Council in response to concerns about the workplace culture and adequacy of governance structures.^[6]

The Inquiry found that the council is riven with conflict, unable to manage Geelong's economic challenges, has dysfunctional leadership and has a culture of bullying.^[7]

On the recommendation of the Commission, the Victorian Government dismissed the entire Greater Geelong City Council on 16 April 2016^[8] and appointed Yehudi Blacher as interim administrator.^[9] On 25 May 2016, Dr Kathy Alexander (chairperson), Peter Dorling and Laurinda Gardner were sworn in as administrators, replacing Yehudi Blacher.^[10]

Under the Local Government (Greater Geelong City Council) Act 2016, the panel of administrators constitutes the Greater Geelong City Council, and has the same functions, powers and duties as the Greater Geelong City Council and its councillors. Likewise, the chairperson of the panel of administrators has the same functions, powers and duties as the mayor of the council.^[11]

The council will be run by administrators until fresh council elections are held in 2017.^[12]

Composition until April 2016

Until its dismissal on 16 April 2016, the council was composed of a directly-elected Mayor, representing the whole of the municipality, and twelve councillors, each representing one of the twelve wards.^[13]

Wards

City of Greater Geelong and urban areas including Geelong

Former and current Mayors

• Gerry Smith (1995–1998)
• Ken Jarvis (1998–2000)
• Michael Crutchfield (2000–2001)
• Stretch Kontelj (2001–2002)
• Barbara Abley (2002–2004)
• Ed Coppe (2004)
• Shane Dowling (2004–2005)
• Peter McMullin (2005–2006)
• Bruce Harwood (2006–2008)
• John Mitchell (2008–2012)
• Keith Fagg (2012–2013)^[14]
• Darryn Lyons (2013-2016)^[15]

Former and current Deputy Mayors

• Tony Ansett (2003–2004)
• John Mitchell (2007–2008)
• Rod Macdonald (2008–2009)
• Bruce Harwood (2009–2010)
• Cameron Granger (2010–2012)
• Stretch Kontelj (2012–2013)
• Bruce Harwood (2013–2014)
• Michelle Heagney (2014–2016)

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Geelong Town Hall Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its service centres in Belmont, Corio, Drysdale, Geelong West, Ocean Grove, Waurn Ponds and on Brougham St in Geelong.

Localities

Localities which encompass the City of Greater Geelong include:

Sister cities

Geelong has sister city relations with the following cities:^[16]

• Viqueque, East Timor
• Lianyungang, China
• Izumiotsu, Japan

See also

• List of mayors of Geelong
• List of Geelong suburbs
• List of localities (Victoria)

References

External links

• Greater Geelong City Council official website
• Geelong Region Alliance Website
• Metlink local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps

Coordinates: 38°09′00″S 144°21′00″E / 38.15000°S 144.35000°E / -38.15000; 144.35000