Cumberland City Council New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Population | 235,439 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 3,270/km2 (8,470/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 12 May 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 72 km2 (27.8 sq mi) [2] | ||||||||||||||
Mayor | Ola Hamed (Labor) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Administration Centre, Merrylands | ||||||||||||||
Region | Greater Western Sydney | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | |||||||||||||||
Website | Cumberland City Council | ||||||||||||||
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Cumberland Council, trading as Cumberland City Council, is a local government area located in the western suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of parts of the Cities of Auburn, Parramatta (Woodville Ward), and Holroyd. [2] [3]
The Council comprises an area of 72 square kilometres (28 sq mi) and as of the 2021 census had a population of 235,439. [1]
The first Special Meeting of Cumberland Council was held on 19 May 2016 at the Granville Town Hall, and the council currently meets at the Merrylands Administration Centre. [4]
The current mayor is Ola Hamed of the Australian Labor Party, elected on 16 October 2024. [5]
Suburbs in the Cumberland City Council area are: [6] [ better source needed ]
The area formerly known as the City of Holroyd was first proclaimed in July 1872 as the "Municipal District of Prospect and Sherwood", which became the "Municipality of Prospect and Sherwood" from 1906 and on 11 January 1927 it was renamed the "Municipality of Holroyd" after Arthur Holroyd, the first mayor. [7] [8] From 1 January 1991, city status was granted, becoming the City of Holroyd. Originally located at the Council Chambers in Merrylands West from 1915, the administrative centre of Holroyd was located in the suburb of Merrylands from 1962. [9]
To the east of Holroyd, the City of Auburn was first proclaimed on 19 February 1892 as the "Borough of Auburn" and became the "Municipality of Auburn" in 1906. [10] On 20 June 1906, the hitherto unincorporated area around Silverwater and Newington was combined into the Municipality of Auburn. [11]
The eastern section of Auburn was originally proclaimed as the Borough of Rookwood on 8 December 1891 and in 1913 Rookwood was renamed "Lidcombe", a portmanteau of the names of the two previous mayors, in an attempt to distance the municipality from the necropolis. [12] On 1 January 1949, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 , the Municipalities of Auburn and Lidcombe were amalgamated to form the new "Municipality of Auburn". In 1993 Auburn Municipal Council became "Auburn Council" and was granted city status in 2008, becoming the "Auburn City Council".
The area known as the Woodville Ward of the City of Parramatta until the amalgamations in May 2016, was first incorporated as the "Borough of Granville" on 20 January 1885, which became the "Municipality of Granville" from 1906, and met in the Granville Town Hall when it was completed in 1888. [13]
On 1 January 1949, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the municipalities of Granville, Dundas, Ermington and Rydalmere, and Parramatta were amalgamated to form the new "City of Parramatta". Granville municipality became the "Granville Ward" and the council meetings of the new Parramatta City were held at the Granville Town Hall from 1949 until the new administration centre was opened in Parramatta in 1958. In 1995 a reorganisation of Parramatta's wards resulted in Granville Ward being renamed "Woodville Ward" after Woodville Road while the former Granville Municipality suburbs of Harris Park, Rosehill, Telopea, and northern sections of Granville and Clyde, were moved into the Elizabeth Macarthur Ward. [13]
A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended a major reorganisation for the area covered by Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta councils. The government considered two proposals. The first was a merger of parts of Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta to form a new council with an area of 72 square kilometres (28 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 219,000. [14] The second proposed a merger of parts of Parramatta, Auburn, The Hills, Hornsby, and Holroyd to form a new council with an area of 82 square kilometres (32 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 215,725. [15]
On 12 May 2016, Cumberland Council was proclaimed as a new local government area, combining parts of Auburn City Council (south of the M4 Western Motorway), the Woodville Ward of the Parramatta City Council, and the majority of the Holroyd City Council. [3] The remainder of the Auburn City Council area north of the M4 Western Motorway (including parts of the Sydney Olympic Park) and a small section of Holroyd was merged into the reconstituted City of Parramatta Council. [16] [3]
The former General Manager of Mosman Council (1986–2013), Viv May PSM , who had been serving as the Administrator of the suspended Auburn City Council since February 2016, was appointed as the Administrator, and the long-serving Holroyd General Manager, Merv Ismay, was appointed as interim general manager. [3] The first Special Meeting of Cumberland Council was held on 19 May 2016, at the Granville Town Hall, the historic former seat of the Granville Municipality, which merged with Parramatta in 1949. [4] [17] Subsequent Council meetings alternated between the Merrylands Administration Building and Auburn Civic Centre, until December 2016 when May decided that the Auburn council chambers would be taken over by the Auburn Library, and all council meetings from then to be held at Merrylands. [4] [18]
After undertaking a significant amount of work to rationalise council services and staff, noting that "Auburn had issues with flagrant rezoning, and Holroyd was over-promising and underdelivering, living in a financial fantasy with many of its projects", May's term as Administrator came to an end in September 2017, with the election of the first council. [19] The former Mayor of Holroyd, Greg Cummings, was elected as the inaugural Mayor of Cumberland Council on 27 September 2017. [20]
On 18 December 2019, the mayor Steve Christou presented a mayoral minute to Council recommending that Cumberland Council begin trading as "Cumberland City Council", by changing the Council's trading name and business registration. The motion was passed 7-7 with the casting vote of the mayor, and the name change to "Cumberland City Council" was implemented from January 2020. [21] [22] However, this did not legally confer city status on the council as it had merely changed the trading name of the council, the legal name as proclaimed in 2016 remains "Cumberland Council", which can only be changed by official proclamation of the Governor in the NSW Government Gazette under section 206 of the Local Government Act 1993. [23] [24] On 6 September 2023, the Council voted unanimously to write to the Minister for Local Government, requesting that the Council area be formally proclaimed as "Cumberland City" under section 206 of the Local Government Act, and the Council be renamed "Cumberland City Council" under section 207 of the Act. [25] [26]
The Cumberland Council area has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Selected historical census data for Cumberland Council local government area | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Census year | 2016 [32] | 2021 [1] | ||||
Population | Estimated residents on census night | 216,079 | 235,439 | |||
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 7th | |||||
% of New South Wales population | 2.89% | 2.91% | ||||
% of Australian population | 0.92% | 0.92% | ||||
Cultural and language diversity | ||||||
Ancestry, top responses | Lebanese | 11.3% | 11.9% | |||
Chinese | 10.8% | 12.6% | ||||
Australian | 10.1% | 10.6% | ||||
English | 8.8% | 9.2% | ||||
Indian | 7.1% | 8.7% | ||||
Language, top responses (other than English) | Arabic | 15.2% | 14.1% | |||
Mandarin | 6.3% | 6.7% | ||||
Cantonese | 4.5% | 4.0% | ||||
Tamil | 3.1% | 3.3% | ||||
Turkish | 3.1% | - | ||||
Nepali | - | 4.4% | ||||
Religious affiliation | ||||||
Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 24.0% | 21.3% | |||
Islam | 21.9% | 22.8% | ||||
No religion, so described | 13.8% | 14.7% | ||||
Hinduism | 10.2% | 13.4% | ||||
Not stated | 8.2% | 8.5% | ||||
Median weekly incomes | ||||||
Personal income | Median weekly personal income | $501 | $654 | |||
% of Australian median income | 75.67% | 81.24% | ||||
Family income | Median weekly family income | $1,436 | $1,808 | |||
% of Australian median income | 82.81% | 85.28% | ||||
Household income | Median weekly household income | $1,379 | $1,678 | |||
% of Australian median income | 95.89% | 96.10% | ||||
There are eight libraries located throughout the local government area. [33] There are also five council-run swimming pools. On 9 September 2017 a poll put to the residents by council asked for their views on continuing to run all five pools, given that their operating costs took up 2% of council revenue. The poll returned a result of 74% in favour of continuing council operation of all the pools. [34]
Located partially in the region, the Smithfield-Wetherill Park Industrial Estate is the largest industrial estate in the southern hemisphere and is the centre of manufacturing and distribution in western Sydney, with more than 1,000 manufacturing, wholesale, transport and service firms.[ citation needed ]
Cumberland City Council | |
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Leadership | |
Mayor | Ola Hamed (Labor) |
Deputy Mayor | Michael Zaiter (Liberal) |
Structure | |
Seats | 15 councillors |
Map of elected councillors by party in each of the 5 wards [35] | |
Political groups | Majority (10)Others (5) |
Elections | |
Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 14 September 2024 |
Next election | 16 September 2028 |
Cumberland City Council comprises fifteen councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017 the first council was elected. [2] The Mayor is elected bi-annually and Deputy Mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. [3]
The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024. Steve Christou left OLC in December 2024, [36] the makeup of the Council, is as follows:
Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Granville Ward [37] | Ola Hamed | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2023–2024; Mayor 2024–present. | |
Joseph Rahme | Liberal | Elected 2017 | ||
Steve Christou | Libertarian | Elected 2017; Mayor 2019–2022; Labor until 2019; Our Local Community 2019–2024; Libertarian 2024–present. [38] [39] [40] | ||
Greystanes Ward [41] | Diane Colman | Labor | Elected 2021 | |
Nadima Kafrouni-Saba | Liberal | Elected 2024 | ||
Eddy Sarkis | Independent | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2017–2018, 2019–2021; left Our Local Community in February 2024 [42] | ||
Regents Park Ward [43] | Enver Yasar | Labor | Elected 2024 | |
Steve Yang | Liberal | Elected 2024 | ||
Helen Hughes | Our Local Community | Elected 2021 | ||
South Granville Ward [44] | Glenn Elmore | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2018–2019. | |
Paul Garrard | Our Local Community | Elected 2017 | ||
Ahmed Ouf | Independent | Elected 2024 | ||
Wentworthville Ward [45] | Michael Zaiter | Liberal | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2021–2022, 2024–present | |
Suman Saha | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2022–2023. | ||
Sujan Selventhiran | Greens | Elected 2024 |
Mayor | Term | Notes |
---|---|---|
Viv May PSM (Administrator) | 12 May 2016 – 27 September 2017 | Town Clerk/General Manager of Mosman 1986–2013, Administrator of Auburn 2016 [3] [46] [19] |
Greg Cummings (ALP/IND) | 27 September 2017 – 25 September 2019 | Mayor of Holroyd 2008–2009, 2014–2016 [20] |
Steve Christou (OLC) | 25 September 2019 – 12 January 2022 | [47] [48] |
Lisa Lake (ALP) | 12 January 2022 – 14 September 2024 | [49] [50] |
Ola Hamed (ALP) | 16 October 2024 – present | |
Deputy Mayor | Term | Notes |
Eddy Sarkis (OLC) | 27 September 2017 – 26 September 2018 | Deputy Mayor of Holroyd 2005–2007 [20] |
Glenn Elmore (ALP) | 26 September 2018 – 25 September 2019 | [51] |
Eddy Sarkis (OLC) | 25 September 2019 – 30 September 2021 | [47] |
Michael Zaiter (LIB) | 30 September 2021 – 12 January 2022 | [48] |
Kun Huang (ALP) | 12 January 2022 – 28 September 2022 | [49] |
Suman Saha (ALP) | 28 September 2022 – 27 September 2023 | [52] |
Ola Hamed (ALP) | 27 September 2023 – 14 September 2024 | [50] |
Michael Zaiter (LIB) | 16 October 2024 – present | |
General Manager | Term | Notes |
Merv Ismay | 12 May 2016 – 2 June 2016 | General Manager of Holroyd 2007–2016 [3] |
Malcolm Ryan | 2 June 2016 – 22 November 2017 | [53] |
Hamish McNulty | 22 November 2017 – 22 April 2021 | Acting until July 2018 [54] |
Peter Fitzgerald | 22 April 2021 – present | [55] [56] Acting until 12 July 2021. [57] |
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labor | 31,340 | 31.7 | −16.9 | 5 | 3 | ||
Liberal | 23,959 | 24.2 | +11.4 | 4 | 2 | ||
Our Local Community | 15,001 | 15.2 | −13.1 | 3 | 1 | ||
People Not Party Politics | 8,044 | 8.1 | 1 | 1 | |||
Greens | 3,952 | 4.0 | +1.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
The Independents | 3,903 | 3.9 | −2.6 | 0 | 1 | ||
Battler | 1,848 | 1.9 | 0 | ||||
Independents | 10,922 | 11.0 | +10.0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Formal votes | 98,969 | 91.3 | |||||
Informal votes | 9,368 | 8.7 | |||||
Total | 108,337 | 15 | |||||
Registered voters / turnout |
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labor | 47,343 | 48.6 | +9.4 | 8 | |||
Our Local Community | 27,547 | 28.3 | +14.0 | 4 | 2 | ||
Independent Liberal | 12,467 | 12.8 | −13.4 [a] | 2 | 3 [a] | ||
The Independents | 6,388 | 6.5 | +6.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
Greens | 2,748 | 2.8 | +1.1 | 0 | |||
Independent | 968 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||
Formal votes | 97,461 | 96.48 |
In February 2024, Cumberland City Council voted in favour of banning drag queen storytime from council events. [64]
On 1 May 2024, Cumberland City Council voted in favour of removing a book about same-sex parenting from council libraries. [65] The motion was proposed by Councillors Christou and Garrard and passed with 6 votes in favour and 5 against. The state Government's Arts Minister John Graham threatened to cut funding for the Council's libraries due to this motion against same-sex books passing. [66]
On 15 May 2024, Cumberland City Council voted in favour of a motion to rescind the initial book ban. [67] Separately proposed amendments by Councillors Christou and Garrard to move the book in question to the adult section of the library were voted down, with Councillor Huang stating "we won't compromise on the principle[s] of equality and fairness". [68] Following four hours of debate, the motion was passed with 12 votes in favour and 2 against. Councillors Hughes, Cummings, Hussein, Garrard, and Zaiter changed their position from 1 May to support the rescission motion on 15 May 2024, [69] while Councillors Christou and Sarkis, the latter of whom was not present in the first meeting, voted to keep the ban.
On the night of 15 May, police and security guards were present as protesters clashed over the book ban outside the council chambers at Merrylands. One councillor, Eddy Sarkis, who initially supported the ban, stated, "I read the book and have come to the conclusion that nothing sexualises children in this book". [70] [71]
The Hills Shire is a local government area in the Greater Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The area is north-west of the Sydney central business district, and encompasses 401 square kilometres (155 sq mi) stretching from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River in the north. The Hills Shire had a population of 191,876 as of the 2021 census.
Hornsby Shire is a local government area situated on the Upper North Shore as well as parts of the Hills District, of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The shire stretches from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to the Hawkesbury River town of Wisemans Ferry, some 53 kilometres (33 mi) to the north, making it the largest local government council in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region by total area. As of the 2016 census the shire had an estimated population of 142,667.
Auburn is a Western Sydney suburb in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Auburn is located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the Sydney central business district and is in the local government area of Cumberland City Council, having previously been the administrative centre of Auburn Council. The suburb was named after Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Deserted Village, which describes 'Auburn' in England as the "loveliest village of the plain".
The City of Holroyd was a local government area in the western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. First proclaimed in July 1872 as the "Municipal District of Prospect and Sherwood", it became the "Municipality of Prospect and Sherwood" from 1906 and in 1927 it was renamed the "Municipality of Holroyd" after Arthur Holroyd, the first mayor. From 1 January 1991, city status was granted, becoming the Holroyd City Council. The administrative centre of the City was located in the suburb of Merrylands, located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the Sydney central business district.
Merrylands is a suburb in Western Sydney, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the Sydney central business district and is in the local government area of the Cumberland City Council.
The Auburn City Council was a local government area in the Greater Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. Prior to its 2016 merger, the council area was located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the Sydney central business district and had a culturally diverse population. Notable features in the area included the Gallipoli Mosque, located in the suburb of Auburn. The suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, the site of the main venues of the 2000 Summer Olympics, was located in the council area.
Holroyd is a small suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Holroyd is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Cumberland Council. The previous local government area of Holroyd City took its name from Arthur Holroyd, first Mayor of the area, local landowner and businessman. The administrative centre is located in nearby Merrylands.
The City of Parramatta, also known as Parramatta Council, is a local government area located to the west and north-west of Sydney CBD in the Greater Western Sydney region. Parramatta Council is situated between the City of Ryde and Cumberland, where the Cumberland Plain meets the Hornsby Plateau, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in New South Wales, Australia. The city occupies an area of 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) spanning across suburbs in Greater Western Sydney including the Hills District, and a small section of Northern Sydney to the far north east of its area. According to the 2021 census, City of Parramatta had an estimated population of 256,729. The city houses the Parramatta central business district which is one of the key suburban employment destinations for the region of Greater Western Sydney.
Granville is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's West. It is currently represented by Julia Finn of the Labor Party.
The Parramatta Advertiser is a weekly regional newspaper that serves the communities of Parramatta, Auburn and Holroyd local government areas and covers local news, sport, council decisions, and community events. This newspaper is published every Wednesday. It currently has a circulation of 79,598, and a readership of 78,000.
The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers' Advocate was a newspaper published in Parramatta with coverage and circulation incorporating Greater Western Sydney and parts of North-West Sydney, Australia. First published on 24 September 1887, the paper continued under this title until issue No. 3397, on 15 March 1950, when the newspaper was officially renamed the Cumberland Argus. It remained under this banner for a further 12 years until it ceased publication on 24 October 1962.
The Broadcaster was an English language local community tabloid newspaper published by several owners in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that principally covered the Municipality of Holroyd and surrounding districts. It was first published in Guildford in 1932, but became a title of The Biz newspaper publishing company located in Fairfield, in 1935. The Broadcaster eventually came under the control of Cumberland Newspapers in 1958 and was retitled the Merrylands Broadcaster from April 1975. The newspaper ceased publication around 1978.
The Weekly Advance was an English-language tabloid newspaper published in Granville, New South Wales, Australia, between 1892 and 1894. The paper principally covered the townships of Granville, Auburn, and Rookwood, with circulation and content extending to Clyde. Flemington, Homebush, Strathfield, Bankstown, Mortlake, Newington, Merrylands, Guildford, Smithfield and Fairfield.
The Municipality of Granville was a local government area in the Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed as the Borough of Granville on 20 January 1885. It included the modern suburbs of Granville, South Granville, Camellia, Rosehill, Clyde and parts of Harris Park, Guildford and Merrylands. From 1 January 1949, the council was amalgamated into the City of Parramatta, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948.
The Granville Independent and Parramatta Advertiser was a short-lived English language regional broadsheet newspaper published in Granville, Sydney, Australia, from 1900 to 1901. The paper circulated in the townships of Parramatta, Granville, Clyde, Auburn, Newington, Rookwood, Flemington, Strathfield, Bankstown, Merrylands, Guildford and Fairfield.
Our Local Community (OLC) is an Australian political party that competes in local elections in New South Wales. The party was formed in 2013 by former Parramatta mayor Paul Garrard, and is currently registered with the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).
The 2024 Cumberland book ban was a controversial fifteen-day ban of same-sex parenting books from the eight libraries in the Cumberland public library system in New South Wales. The ban was enacted by the Cumberland City Council on 1 May and was rescinded on 15 May. The ban led to a wider discussion of book censorship in Australian libraries.
Steve Christou is an Australian politician who serves as a Councillor on the Cumberland City Council for the Granville Ward, in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Christou previously served as Mayor of Cumberland City Council from September 2019 to January 2022.
This is a list of results for the 2021 New South Wales local elections in Outer Sydney including the Central Coast, though the region is considered to be separate from Greater Sydney.
Cumberland Council currently operates five public swimming pools in the Local Government Area. Each year the five pools expect to cater for a total of approximately 405,000 visitors. In 2018 it is estimated that the total operating costs of all five pools will exceed revenues by almost $2.15 million (which is 2.4% of Council's rates income), and it is expected that the shortfall will increase in subsequent years. Council subsidises these pools by using other funding sources, such as rates to cover the shortfall. Do you support Council continuing to operate and subsidise all of these swimming pools?
The following candidates were declared elected on 16 October 2024: Steve CHRISTOU (OLC) Ola HAMED (ALP) Joseph RAHME
The following candidates were declared elected on 21 December 2021: Diane COLMAN (ALP) Greg CUMMINGS (IND) Eddy SARKIS (OLC)
Eddy Sarkis, who left Our Local Community in February after not being endorsed by the party for the upcoming elections
The following candidates were declared elected on 21 December 2021: Kun HUANG (ALP) Sabrin FAROOQUI (ALP) Helen HUGHES (OLC)
The following candidates were declared elected on 21 December 2021: Glenn ELMORE (ALP) Paul GARRARD (OLC) Mohamad HUSSEIN (ALP)
The following candidates were declared elected on 22 December 2021: Suman SAHA (ALP) Lisa LAKE (ALP) Michael ZAITER
Labor again won eight seats in 2021, with the Our Local Community party (including former Labor councillor Steve Christou) as the main opposition, winning four seats. Two independent Liberals were re-elected, as was former Labor councillor Greg Cummings.
He was also runner up at the last elections in 2021, where Cumberland Council elected a Labor majority with two Independent Liberals.