Canterbury-Bankstown Council, trading as the City of Canterbury Bankstown, is a local government area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region[a] of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 from a merger of the City of Canterbury and the City of Bankstown,[3] after a review of local government areas by the NSW Government.
The City of Canterbury Bankstown comprises an area of 110.8 square kilometres (42.8 sq mi) and as per the 2021 census, had a population of 371,006 making it the second most populous local government area in New South Wales.
The current mayor is Bilal El-Hayek, a member of the Labor Party, who was elected on 11 May 2023.
The traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the land now known as the Canterbury-Bankstown were the Dharug (Darag, Daruk, Dharuk) and Eora peoples. Early indigenous groups relied upon the riparian network of the Georges River and Cooks River catchments towards Botany Bay, with extant reminders of this lifestyle dating back 3,000 years including rock and overhang paintings, stone scrapers, middens and axe grinding grooves.[4][5]
Following the arrival of Europeans in 1788, the new British settlers in the area burned oyster shells from the middens along Cooks River to produce lime for use in building mortar. The first incursions and eventual land grants in the area by Europeans led to increasing tensions, culminating in a confrontation between Europeans and a group of Aboriginal people led by Tedbury, the son of Pemulwuy, in what is now Punchbowl in 1809. However, following Tedbury's death in 1810, resistance to European settlement generally ended.[6]
In 1793, the eastern Canterbury area's first land grant was made to the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Reverend Richard Johnson, and given the name Canterbury Vale. The District of Bankstown was named by Governor Hunter in 1797 in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The area remained very rural until residential and suburban development followed the development of the Bankstown Railway Line with the passing of the Marrickville to Burwood Road Railway Act by the NSW Parliament in 1890, extending the rail line from Marrickville Station (later Sydenham Station) to Burwood Road (later Belmore Station) by 1895.[7] With the passing of the Belmore to Chapel Road Railway Act in 1906, the line was extended further to Lakemba, Punchbowl and Bankstown by 1909.[7]
After much petitioning of the NSW Government by local residents, the Municipality of Canterbury was proclaimed on 17 March 1879. The council first met in the home of the first mayor, Alderman John Sproule, and premises were then leased in the St Paul's Church schoolroom at 47-49 Canterbury Road, Canterbury. The Canterbury Town Hall, located on Canterbury Road between Canton and Howard Streets, was opened in 1889 by the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes. However, over time, Campsie became a more important centre, particularly along Beamish Street and Canterbury Council planned a gradual move of civic services there when funds became available.[8] In 1954 a Baby Health Centre by Davey & Brindley opened on Beamish Street, followed by a library next door by Davey, Brindley & Vickery in 1958 at a cost of £30,000, and the municipal administration finally moved in 1963.[8] At the time of its opening by the mayor R. J. Schofield on 26 September 1958, the Campsie Library was reputed to be the largest municipal library in Sydney.[8][9] The Canterbury Municipal Administration Building designed by architects Whitehead & Payne, built by Rex Building Company Pty Ltd, and completed at a cost of £163,000 was opened adjacent to the Library and Baby Health Centre by the mayor, James S. Scott, on 21 September 1963.[10][11][12] The City of Canterbury was proclaimed on 16 November 1993 by the Governor of New South Wales, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair.
In March 1895 a petition was submitted to the NSW Colonial Government by 109 residents of the Bankstown area, requesting the establishment of the "Municipal District of Bankstown" under the Municipalities Act, 1867.[13] The petition was subsequently accepted and the "Municipal District of Bankstown" was proclaimed by Lieutenant Governor Sir Frederick Darley on 7 September 1895.[14] The first six-member council, standing in one at-large constituency, was elected on 4 November 1895.[15] With the passing of the Local Government Act 1906, the council area became known as the "Municipality of Bankstown".
Bankstown's city status was proclaimed in 1980 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the "City of Bankstown".[16]
A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Canterbury merge with the City of Bankstown to form a new council with an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 351,000.[17] Following an independent review, on 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced, with the release of the Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016, that the merger with the City of Bankstown would proceed with immediate effect, creating a new council with an area of 72 square kilometres (28 sq mi).[3]
The council was initially under the management of Administrator Richard Colley until elections were held.[18] The first meeting of the council was held at Bankstown Council Chambers on 24 May 2016.[19] The former Bankstown General Manager, Matthew Stewart was proclaimed as the first General Manager of the council.[18] Jim Montague PSM, Canterbury Council General Manager from 1983 to 2016, was initially proclaimed as a Deputy General Manager of the new Council, but retired two weeks after the proclamation.[20]
At the first council meeting on 24 May 2016, the administrator, Richard Colley, resolved to adopt city status and the council name would be known as the "City of Canterbury Bankstown" by way of changing the council's trading name and business registration.[21] However, as this act merely changed the trading name of the council, the legal name as proclaimed in 2016 remains "Canterbury-Bankstown Council", which can only be changed by official proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette under section 206 of the Local Government Act, 1993.[22]
In 2021, the council began resolving a proposal to de-amalgamate the City of Canterbury Bankstown. The de-amalgamation would restore the former City of Canterbury and City of Bankstown to their original boundaries. In July 2022, the council began preparations to submit a business case to the NSW Government for approval.[23]
At the ordinary council meeting on 28 November 2023, it was resolved that council would halt all work, and financial spending, on preparing its implementation plan to de-amalgamate, until such time the NSW Government gave an iron-clad commitment to fully fund the cost of any de-amalgamation, and all ongoing costs.[24]However, in 2024, it was confirmed that a bill would be passed in parliament by the NSW Government which would indicate that the government would not fit to bill for any council wishing to de-amalgamate.[25]
Suburbs in the City of Canterbury Bankstown area are:
The City of Canterbury-Bankstown is home to the second highest number of registered businesses in NSW. In 2021–22, the City of Canterbury-Bankstown had an estimated Gross Regional Product (GRP) of $16.7 billion, making it the eight largest economy in the state.[26]
Multinational companies including Volkswagen have based their Australian operations in Canterbury-Bankstown. The City of Canterbury-Bankstown is home to the largest postal distribution centre in the Southern Hemisphere, which is operated by the Australia Post. Bankstown Airport is a major employment area for aviation and logistics. The NSW Police Force, NSW Ambulance, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service have their flight operations at Bankstown Airport.[27]
The Council comprises fifteen Councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017 the current Council was elected for a fixed term of office.[3][18] Although the fixed term of the council is typically four years, due to delays caused by amalgamations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the first term from 9 September 2017 expired on 4 December 2021.[29] The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the Councillors for two-year and one-year terms, respectively. The City of Canterbury Bankstown was under the management of Administrator Richard Colley and Interim General Manager Matthew Stewart until elections were held on 9 September 2017 and the first meeting of the elected Council on 26 September 2017.[18]
The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, by order of election, is as follows:
The City of Canterbury Bankstown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The City of Canterbury Bankstown has 7 sister cities.[56]
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Broken Hill, Australia Cobar Shire, Australia
Suita, Japan
Yangcheon District, Seoul, South Korea Eunpyeong District, Seoul, South Korea
Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China
Colorado Springs, United States
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