City of Boroondara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

City of Boroondara
Victoria
MelbLGA-Boroondara.gif
Map of Melbourne with the City of Boroondara highlighted in dark green
Population167,900 (LGA 2021)[1]
Established1994
Area60 km2 (23.2 sq mi)[2]
MayorCr Felicity Sinfield
Council seatCamberwell
RegionInner eastern metropolitan Melbourne
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
Boroondara city logo.png
WebsiteCity of Boroondara
LGAs around City of Boroondara:
Yarra Banyule Manningham
Yarra City of Boroondara Whitehorse
Stonnington Stonnington Monash

The City of Boroondara (/bɒrənˈdɑːrə/) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was formed in June 1994 from the amalgamation of the Cities of Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn.[3]

It has an area of 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi). In June 2018 the City had a population of 181,289.[2]

City of Boroondara participates in the Victorian Government’s state-wide, Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey. This is conducted annually by an independent research company, JWS Research. In 2022 City of Boroondara achieved an index score of 71 on ‘Overall Performance’. This is significantly higher than the average ratings for metropolitan councils (index score of 65) and the state-wide average (index score of 59) and places Boroondara in the top-performing councils metro and state-wide.[4]

History[edit]

This area was originally occupied by the Wurundjeri Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation.[5][6]

In 1837, John Gardiner (after whom Gardiners Creek was named) and his family were the first Europeans to settle in the area.[6] Robert Hoddle surveyed the area in 1837 and declared it the "Parish of Boroondara". The area was densely wooded, so he took a word from the Woiwurrung language (as spoken by the Wurundjeri), meaning "where the ground is thickly shaded".[7]

The first Local Government body was the Boroondara District Road Board, formed on 11 July 1854 and incorporating the areas which were to become the City of Hawthorn, City of Kew and City of Camberwell. Hawthorn and Kew were created as separate municipalities in 1860 and the remaining area of the Road Board became Shire of Boroondara on 17 November 1871, which later became the City of Camberwell.[8]

The three municipalities were amalgamated in June 1994 to create the City of Boroondara.[3] Existing councillors from the three municipalities were replaced initially by three commissioners - David Glanville (chair), David Thomas and Marion Macleod.[9] The commissioners were in turn replaced by ten councillors following elections in 1996.[10]

Local government[edit]

Boroondara City Council is the third tier of government and deals with services such as waste and recycling collection, leisure centres, building and planning permits and approvals, roads, drainage, health services, youth services, children's services, food safety, parks and gardens, library services, pets, street parking permits and the collection of rates and charges.[11]

Current composition and election method[edit]

The Camberwell Town Hall.

Boroondara City Council is composed of eleven councillors, each representing one of eleven wards. On Thursday 9 July 2020, the Minister for Local Government formally announced a change to Boroondara’s electoral structure. This change follows a review by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), which was completed in June 2019. This change included an increase in ward and councillor numbers from 10 to 11. The new 11th ward is named Riversdale Ward, and is located to the south-west where it shares a boundary with Glenferrie, Junction and Gardiner Wards. This addition resulted in a number of boundary changes across the municipality.[12]

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to disrupt the local elections, with some arguing that the inability to campaign in-person would benefit incumbents with name-recognition, or resource rich candidates who could invest in letter box campaigns with leaflets.[13] A decision was made, on public health grounds, that it was safe to proceed with the elections and voters were only able to return their ballots via postal voting.[14][15]

All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office, with the most recent election being held in December 2022.[16][17] Councillors-elect were sworn-in at a Special Meeting of Council on Thursday 8 December 2022. The current mayor is Cr Felicity Sinfield.[18]

Party Councillors
  Independent 6
  Liberal 4
  Greens 1
Total 11
Ward[19] Party Councillor[20] Elected
Bellevue   Liberal Jim Parke[21] 2012
Cotham   Liberal Felicity Sinfield[21] 2016
Gardiner   Independent Victor Franco 2020
Glenferrie   Greens Wes Gault[22] 2020
Junction   Independent Di Gillies 2020
Lynden   Independent Lisa Hollingsworth 2016
Maling   Independent Jane Addis 2012
Maranoa   Liberal Cynthia Watson[21] 2016
Riversdale   Independent Susan Biggar 2020
Solway   Independent Garry Thompson 2016
Studley   Liberal Nick Stavrou[23] 2020

Past councillors[edit]

Single member wards, 1996-2019

Previous councillors (grey shading indicates election year)[24][25]
Ward 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Bellevue Eric Risstrom 1. Luke Tobin Brad Miles Jim Parke
Cotham Geoff Hayes Lachlan Williams 2. David Bloom Judith Voce Felicity Sinfield
Gardiner Will Charlton Coral Ross
Glenferrie Nigel Kirby Meredith Butler Phil Meggs Steve Hurd
Junction Lilian Weinberg Martina Hayes Jack Wegman
Lynden Ian Wallace Heinz Kreutz Lisa Hollingsworth
Maling Loreto Davey 3. Dick Menting Jane Addis
Maranoa Chris Pattas Nicholas Tragas Philip Mallis Cynthia Watson
Solway Keith Walter 4. Kevin Chow[26][27] Garry Thompson
Studley Paula Davey Judith Voce Phillip Healey[28][29]

  Liberal   Labor 1. Gina Goldsmith 2. Phil Meggs 3. Dennis Whelan 4. Mary Halikias-Byrnes

Boroondara mayors[edit]

Townships and localities[edit]

The 2021 census, the city had a population of 167,900 up from 167,231 in the 2016 census[30]

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Ashburton 7,751 7,952
Balwyn 13,312 13,495
Balwyn North^ 20,406 21,302
Camberwell 22,081 21,965
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Canterbury 8,056 7,800
Deepdene 2,035 2,101
Glen Iris^ 25,268 26,131
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Hawthorn 23,511 22,322
Hawthorn East 14,321 14,834
Kew 24,605 24,499
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Kew East 6,635 6,620
Mont Albert^ 4,840 4,948
Surrey Hills^ 13,605 13,655

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Infrastructure[edit]

The Council is responsible for the management of stormwater collection and removal. The water supply authority is Yarra Valley Water.

Libraries[edit]

The City of Boroondara has five libraries at Camberwell, Ashburton, Balwyn, Kew and Hawthorn, and in 2018 opened a 'library lounge' at the Greythorn Community Hub in Balwyn North.[31][32]

Local area[edit]

Schools[edit]

Camberwell High School, one of the City of Boroondara's secondary schools

Boroondara has one of the highest concentrations of students in Australia[33] and contains many private schools, including Xavier College, Methodist Ladies' College (MLC), Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar School, Camberwell Grammar School, Trinity Grammar School, Ruyton Girls' School, Rossbourne School, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Scotch College, Fintona Girls' School, Genazzano FCJ College, Preshil, and Alia College. It contains Catholic schools such as St Michael's Parish School (Ashburton) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Deepdene) and St Bede's School (Balwyn North) and a number of public schools, including Canterbury Girls' Secondary College, Balwyn High School, Kew High School, Auburn High School and Camberwell High School.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Boroondara (Local Government Area)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "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.
  3. ^ a b "History and heritage". City of Boroondara. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Victorian Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey". JWS Research. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Ancestors & Past". Wurundjeri. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b "History of Gardiners Creek". City of Boroondara. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Local History and Heritage". City of Boroondara. Archived from the original on 3 May 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  8. ^ Victorian Municipal Directory. Brunswick: Arnall & Jackson. 1992. pp. 327–328, 393, 406. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
  9. ^ "170 councillors sacked as 17 local councils cease to exist, Seven super-cities from today". Canberra Times. 22 June 1994. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. ^ "First Council of City of Boroondara". Monument Australia. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  11. ^ "City of Boroondara". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Council elections". City of Boroondara. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Victorian council elections likely to be postponed amid COVID-19 risks". 13 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Council elections to go ahead despite COVID-19 campaigning curbs". 13 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Providing safe elections".
  16. ^ "Council elections". City of Boroondara. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Past Councillors". City of Boroondara. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Cr Garry Thompson elected Mayor of City of Boroondara". City of Boroondara. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Councillors and wards". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  20. ^ "Results for Boroondara City Council Elections 2012". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  21. ^ a b c "Tracking Victorian Crs who are members of a political party". The Mayne Report. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  22. ^ "Wes Gault". Australian Greens Victoria. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Boroondara City Council – BURWOOD LIBERALS". Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Past and present councillors". City of Boroondara. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  25. ^ "VEC: Boroondara City Council Election Results". 5 September 2006. Archived from the original on 5 September 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  26. ^ "Friendly Fire for Solway Ward". Boroondara Weekly Review. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  27. ^ "Actor Geoffrey Rush backs candidates opposed to suburban sprawl". News.com.au. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  28. ^ "Boroondara councillor Phillip Healey considers Liberal preselection in Kew". Progress Leader. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  29. ^ Khadem, Nassim (14 November 2004). "Fight against developers takes centre stage". The Age. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  30. ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
  31. ^ "Libraries". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  32. ^ Boroondara, City of (18 September 2018). "A visit to Greythorn Library Lounge". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  33. ^ "Headspace Hawthorn doors open". headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Boroondara.

Boroondara travel guide from Wikivoyage

Coordinates: 37°49′S 145°04′E / 37.817°S 145.067°E / -37.817; 145.067

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=City_of_Boroondara&oldid=1141266061"