City of Townsville

Last updated

City of Townsville
Queensland
Townsville Boardwalk and Skyline.jpg
Townsville Skyline
Townsville LGA Qld 2008.png
Location within Queensland
Population194,072 (2018) [1]  (28th)
 • Density52.016/km2 (134.721/sq mi)
Established1865
Area3,731 km2 (1,440.5 sq mi) [1]
Mayor Troy Thompson
Council seat Townsville City
Region North Queensland
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
City of Townsville logo.svg
Website City of Townsville
LGAs around City of Townsville:
Hinchinbrook Coral Sea Coral Sea
Charters Towers City of Townsville Burdekin
Charters Towers Charters Towers Burdekin

The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas, to the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock and Reid River, and to the north are Northern Beaches and Paluma, and also included is Magnetic Island. In June 2018 the area had a population of 194,072, [1] and is the 28th-largest LGA in Australia. Townsville is considered to be the unofficial capital of North Queensland.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Townsville's Town Hall 1895 with, from left to right, Aldermen T. Enright, E.J. Forrest, D.F. Treehy (Townclerk), P. Lillis (Rate Receiver), J. N. Parkes, B.P. McDougall (Accountant) TCC 1895 (cropped).JPG
Townsville's Town Hall 1895 with, from left to right, Aldermen T. Enright, E.J. Forrest, D.F. Treehy (Townclerk), P. Lillis (Rate Receiver), J. N. Parkes, B.P. McDougall (Accountant)

Prior to 2008, the new City of Townsville was an entire area of two previous and distinct local government areas:

The City of Townsville was first established as the Borough of Townsville under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864 on 15 February 1866. The surrounding rural area, which was given the name Thuringowa Division, was established on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 31 March 1903, Thuringowa Division became the Shire of Thuringowa and Townsville was granted city status under the Local Authorities Act 1902, the ancestor of the current Local Government Act 1993.

The borders of the Townsville municipality were expanded to keep pace with urban growth in 1882, 1918, 1936, 1958 and 1964 – the purpose of expanding the borders was to keep urban and rural administrations separate. [2] This state government convention changed under the Bjelke-Petersen government and the borders between the two local governments became static. By 1986 the Shire of Thuringowa had grown to a population of 27,000 and was declared a city. [2]

The City of Townsville was notable in Australia in the 1890s and early 1900s for its support for municipal socialism. The anarchist and socialist Alderman Ned Lowry advocated for the City of Townsville to control various industries. [3]

In 1939, Fred Paterson stood successfully as an alderman for the Townsville City Council, becoming the first member of the Communist Party to win such an office in Australia. He was then re-elected in 1943. The same year, he stood for the federal seat of Herbert, but was narrowly defeated. He then contested and won the Bowen seat in the Queensland Parliament, holding it from 1944 until 1950.

From 1942 to 1949, the council was held by a majority of members of the pro-soviet Labor party split, the North Queensland Labor Party. [4]

A succession of endorsed Labor Party mayors and majority councillors held a continuous civic government from 1976–2008, this was the longest continuous Labor administration in the country until Tony Mooney was defeated in 2008.

Following local government reform undertaken by the State Government of Queensland, the City of Townsville and the City of Thuringowa were amalgamated in 2008. [5] The process of amalgamation was completed on the election of a new combined council on 15 March 2008.

Mayors

Other notable aldermen include:

Council

Townsville City Council
Leadership
Structure
Seats11 elected representatives, including a Mayor and 10 councillors
TCC2024.png
Political groups
  •   Independents (4)
  •   Team Jenny Hill (4)
  •   TownsvilleCHANGE (2)
  •   Independent LNP (1)
Elections
Last election
 16 March 2024

Townsville City Council services the LGA. The council is represented by 10 councillors and the mayor, who have been elected by the whole city. The current mayor is Jenny Hill, who was formerly the deputy mayor of the pre-amalgamation City of Townsville in 2007 and early 2008.

The council consists of one mayor, elected at large, and 10 councillors, elected from 10 individual divisions.

Recent history (2008−present)

In 2008, the Australian Labor Party, which had controlled the council for 32 years − the longest-serving Labor administration in Australia − was defeated in a landslide by the conservative Team Tyrell, which won all but one of the councillor positions. Incumbent mayor Tony Mooney was among the ALP members defeated. [7]

After one term, mayor Les Tyrell chose to retire from politics and did not recontest his position. At the 2012 election, councillor Dale Last ran for mayor and formed the Townsville First group, which ran candidates − including six Team Tyrell councillors − in all wards. Jenny Hill, the only sitting Labor member on council, formed Team Jenny Hill and successfully ran for mayor. [8]

At the 2016 election, Team Jenny Hill defeated defeated Jayne Arlett's Team in a landslide victory, picking up every single ward, along with retaining the mayoralty. [9]

Current composition

The current council, elected in 2024, is:

WardCouncillorPartyNotes
Mayor  Troy Thompson Independent
Division 1 Paul Jacob TownsvilleCHANGE
Division 2 Brodie Phillips Independent
Division 3 Ann-Maree Greaney Team Jenny Hill
Division 4 Kristian Price Independent
Division 5 Vera Dirou TownsvilleCHANGE
Division 6  Suzy Batkovic Team Jenny Hill
Division 7 Kurt Rehbein Team Jenny Hill
Division 8 Andrew Robinson Independent
Division 9 Liam Mooney Team Jenny Hill
Division 10 Brady Ellis Independent LNP [10]

Past councillors

2008−2012 (unsubdivided)

YearCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillor
2008   David Crisafulli (Team Tyrell) Jenny Lane (Team Tyrell/TF) Dale Last (Team Tyrell/TF) Rob McCahill (Team Tyrell) Ray Gartrell (Team Tyrell/TF) Deanne Bell (Team Tyrell) Sue Blom (Team Tyrell/TF) Brian Hewett (Team Tyrell) Vern Veitch (Team Tyrell/TF)  Jenny Hill (Labor/TJH) Tony Parsons (Team Tyrell/TF) Natalie Marr (Team Tyrell/TF)
2008 Trevor Roberts (Ind./TF)
2012 Vacant         

2012−present (10 wards)

YearDivision 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 5Division 6Division 7Division 8Division 9Division 10
CouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillorCouncillor
2012  Sue Blom (TF/JAT) Tony Parsons (TF/JAT) Vern Veitch (TF/Ind.) Jenny Lane (TF) Pat Ernst (Ind.) Trevor Roberts (TF/JAT) Gary Eddiehausen (TF/JAT) Ray Gartrell (TF/JAT) Colleen Doyle (TJH)  Les Walker (TJH)
2015      
2016  Margie Ryder (TJH) Paul Jacob (TJH/Ind.) Ann-Maree Greaney (TJH) Mark Molachino (TJH) Russ Cook (TJH) Verena Coombe (TJH) Kurt Rehbein (TJH) Maurie Soars (TJH)
2019 
2020  Sue Blom (Ind.)  Suzy Batkovic (TJH) Liam Mooney (TJH)
2021 Fran O'Callaghan (NQSA)
2024  Paul Jacob (Change) Brodie Phillips (Ind.) Kristian Price (Ind.) Vera Dirou (Change) Andrew Robinson (Ind.) Brady Ellis (Ind. LNP)

Towns and localities

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The 2011 census was the first for the new City.

YearPopulation
(City total)		Population
(Townsville)		Population
(Thuringowa)
191115,73110,6365,095
192123,69021,3532,337
193329,30025,8763,424
194736,43634,1092,327
195443,09840,4712,627
196153,71551,1432,572
196665,30362,4032,900
197172,02368,5913,432
197691,27980,36510,914
198198,90081,17217,728
1986112,91782,80930,108
1991125,01087,28837,722
1996131,37187,05244,319
2001143,84192,70151,140
2006158,64799,48359,164
2011174,462
2016186,757
2021192,768

Amenities

The Townsville City Council operates libraries at Aitkenvale, Townsville City and Thuringowa Central. [11] It also operates a mobile library service, serving the following suburbs on a regular schedule: [12]

Sister cities

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townsville</span> City in Queensland, Australia

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 179,011 as of the 2021 census, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the northern half of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Thuringowa</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The City of Thuringowa was a city and local government area in North Queensland, Australia covering the northern and western parts of what is now Townsville. The suburb of Thuringowa Central is the main business centre in this area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Mooney</span>

Anthony John Mooney AM is a former Australian politician who served as a city councillor of the City of Townsville, Queensland from 1977 to 2008, and the mayor from 1989 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gleeson (politician)</span> Australian politician

Daniel Gleeson OBE, a politician of North Queensland Australia, was the first Mayor of the Former City of Thuringowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockhampton Region</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Rockhampton Region is a local government area (LGA) in Central Queensland, Australia, located on the Tropic of Capricorn about 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of Brisbane. Rockhampton is the region's major city; the region also includes the Fitzroy River, Mount Archer National Park and Berserker Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toowoomba Region</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charters Towers Region</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Charters Towers Region is a local government area in North Queensland, Australia southwest of, and inland from the city of Townsville, based in Charters Towers. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas which dated back to the 1870s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackay Region</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Tyrell</span> Australian local government politician

Les Tyrell is an Australian local government politician. He was the Mayor of the City of Townsville from 2008 until his retirement in 2012. He previously served as Mayor of the City of Thuringowa from 1991 until it became part of the City of Townsville in March 2008. He became mayor of the new larger City of Townsville after an upset victory over Tony Mooney, who had been Mayor of Townsville for twenty years until the amalgamation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local government in Queensland</span>

Local government in Queensland, Australia, includes the institutions and processes by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993–2007. Queensland is divided into 78 local government areas, which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires, or Regions. Each area has a council that is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers and grants and subsidies from the state and Commonwealth governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Crisafulli</span> Australian politician

David Frank Crisafulli is an Australian politician who is the current leader of the Opposition in Queensland, holding office as the leader of the Liberal National Party since November 2020. He has been the member of the Legislative Assembly for Broadwater since 2017. He was the member for Mundingburra from 2012 to 2015, holding ministerial portfolios in the Newman government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Hill (politician)</span> Australian politician

Jennifer Lorraine Hill AM is an Australian former politician who served as mayor of Townsville from 2020 until 2024. which is the 18th largest local government area in Australia. She was elected to the position during the Queensland Local Government elections held on 28 April 2012. Prior to serving as mayor, Hill was a city councillor and previously held the position of Deputy Mayor under the previous pre-amalgamation Townsville City Council in the Labor administration of Tony Mooney between 2007 and 2008.

Leslie Alexander Walker is an Australian politician currently serving as member for Mundingburra in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, a position he has held since 2020. He served as a Townsville City councillor from 2004, and was Deputy Mayor of Townsville from 2016 to 2020.

The 2008 Queensland local elections were held on 15 March 2008 to elect the mayors and councils of the 73 local government areas in Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townsville Harbour Board</span>

The Townsville Harbour Board was the authority responsible for managing the Port of Townsville, a seaport in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Townsville City Council election</span>

The 2008 Townsville City Council election was held on 15 March 2008 to elect a mayor and 12 councillors to the City of Townsville. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Townsville City Council election</span>

The 2012 Townsville City Council election was held on 28 April 2012 to elect a mayor and 10 councillors to the City of Townsville. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Townsville City Council election</span> Australian local election

The 2024 Townsville City Council election was held on 16 March 2024 to elect a mayor and 10 councillors to the City of Townsville. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 Townsville City Council Submission to the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Townsville: Townsville City Council. May 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original (Submission) on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  3. ↑ Burgmann, Verity (1985). In our time : socialism and the rise of labor, 1885-1905. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   0868615374.
  4. ↑ Fitzgerald, Ross (1997). The people's champion, Fred Paterson : Australia's only Communist Party member of parliament. University of Queensland Press. ISBN   0702229598.
  5. ↑ A Message from the Chairman, Cr Tony Mooney Archived 31 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Aikens, Mr Thomas (Tom)". Re-Member Database. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "How it happened: a defining moment in politics". Townsville Bulletin. 15 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "Uphill battle for King Les's man". The Courier Mail.
  9. ↑ "2016 Townsville City Council - Councillor Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "BRADY JOHN ELLIS". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 16 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Using your libraries: locations and opening hours". Townsville City Council . Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Mobile Library Service" (PDF). Townsville City Council . Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Townsville City Council – Townsville's Sister Cities". Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2007.

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