City of Kogarah

This article is about the local government area. For the suburb, see Kogarah, New South Wales.

City of Kogarah New South Wales
Location in Metropolitan Sydney
Coordinates	33°58′S 151°08′E
Population	55,806 (2011)
• Density	2,860.4/km2 (7,408/sq mi)
Established	2008
Abolished	12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area	19.51 km2 (7.5 sq mi)a
Website	City of Kogarah

The City of Kogarah was a local government area in the St George region of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The centre of the city is located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south-west of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay.

The Municipality of Kogarah was established on 22 December 1885 and in 2008 Kogarah became the first local government area in New South Wales to become a city by popular vote. The city was bounded by the Illawarra railway line, Georges River, Rocky Point Road, Princes Highway and Harrow Road. The name Kogarah is Aboriginal, meaning place of reeds and takes its name from the reeds that grew in the inlets along the Georges River and at the head of Kogarah Bay.

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Kogarah merge with the City of Hurstville to form a new council with an area of 38 square kilometres (15 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 147,000. On 12 May 2016 the NSW Government announced that the City of Kogarah would merge with the City of Hurstville to form the Georges River Council with immediate effect.

Suburbs and localities in the former local government area

Suburbs in the City of Kogarah were:

• Allawah (parts are located within City of Rockdale council)
• Beverley Park
• Blakehurst
• Carlton (parts are located within City of Rockdale council)
• Carss Park
• Connells Point
• Hurstville
• Hurstville Grove
• Kogarah (parts are located within City of Rockdale council)
• Kogarah Bay
• Kyle Bay
• Mortdale
• Oatley
• Penshurst (parts were located within City of Hurstville council)
• Sans Souci
• South Hurstville

Kogarah City Council also managed and maintained the following localities:

• Bald Face
• Carss Point
• Connells Bay
• Harness Cask Point
• Neverfail Bay
• Oatley Bay
• Shipwright Bay
• Tom Uglys Point

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 55,806 people in the Kogarah local government area, of these 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population. The median age of people in the City of Kogarah was 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.1% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.5% were married and 8.8% were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the City of Kogarah between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 5.32%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 6.22%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Kogarah local government area was marginally lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Kogarah was generally on par with the national average.

Selected historical census data for Kogarah local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	49,885	52,537	55,806
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.81%
		% of Australian population	0.27%	0.26%	0.26%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Chinese			18.7%
		Australian			14.4%
		English			14.1%
		Greek			8.7%
		Irish			5.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	4.0%	8.1%	10.5%
		Cantonese	7.0%	7.9%	8.7%
		Greek	8.0%	8.1%	8.1%
		Arabic	3.6%	3.8%	3.6%
		Macedonian	n/c	2.2%	2.3%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	27.8%	26.2%	24.6%
		No religion	12.1%	16.2%	20.0%
		Eastern Orthodox	13.3%	14.5%	14.8%
		Anglican	17.4%	14.0%	12.0%
		Buddhism	n/c	3.6%	4.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$514	A$605
		% of Australian median income		110.3%	104.9%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,164	A$1,667
		% of Australian median income		113.3%	112.6%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,354	A$1,463
		% of Australian median income		115.6%	118.6%

Council

Kogarah City Council administration building.

Composition and election method

Kogarah City Council was composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three Councillors. All Councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor was elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council was as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Liberal Party of Australia	6
	Australian Labor Party	4
	Independents	1
	Unity Party	1
	Total	12

The last Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, was:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
East Ward		Sam Stratikopoulos	Liberal
		Michael Platt	Labor
		Annie Tang	Unity	Deputy Mayor
Middle Ward		Nick Varvaris	Liberal
		Nathaniel Smith	Liberal
		Kathryn Landsberry	Labor
North Ward		Lachlan McLean	Independent
		Stephen Agius	Liberal	Mayor
		Nick Katris	Labor
West Ward		Nicholas Aroney	Liberal
		George Katsabaris	Liberal
		Jacinta Petroni	Labor

Footnotes

^a  Land component is 15.55 square kilometres (6.00 sq mi)

External links

• Kogarah City Council website