Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) is a non-profit organisation of local government bodies in Western Australia. It aims to represent and support the works and interests of Western Australian government sectors. [1]
It commenced in 2001, as a successor to the Western Australian Municipal Association, Country Shire Councils' Association, [2] and the Local Government Association. [3] It has lobbied for increased funding for local government at different stages. [4] [ verification needed ]
There are 137 local government areas (LGAs) in Western Australia, which comprise 27 cities, 102 shires, and 8 towns that manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1995. The Local Government Act 1995 also makes provision for regional local governments (referred to as "regional councils", established by two or more local governments for a particular purpose.
Toodyay, known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, the townsite was moved to its current location in the 1860s. It is connected by railway and road to Perth. During the 1860s, it was home to bushranger Moondyne Joe.
Local government is the third-level of government in Australia, administered with limited autonomy under the states and territories, and in turn beneath the federal government. Local government is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia, and two referendums in 1974 and 1988 to alter the Constitution relating to local government were unsuccessful. Every state/territory government recognises local government in its own respective constitution. Unlike the two-tier local government system in Canada or the United States, there is only one tier of local government in each Australian state/territory, with no distinction between counties and cities.
Boyup Brook is a town in the south-west of Western Australia, 269 kilometres (167 mi) south-southeast of Perth and 31 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of Bridgetown. The town lies on Kaniyang land within the Noongar nation.
Football West is the state governing body for soccer in Western Australia (WA). It is affiliated with Football Australia (FA), the sport's national governing body, and through FA's affiliation to FIFA. Football West's premier competition is the National Premier Leagues (NPL) WA, which is the highest league in WA and one tier below the national A-League. NPL WA is a division within the National Premier Leagues. Football West is also responsible for running Western Australia's National Training Centre in conjunction with FA and the WA Government's Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC). Football West also runs the Football West State Cup knock-out cup. Since 2014 the two State Cup finalists also qualify for the Australia Cup.
The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley is one of the four local government areas in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, covering an area of 117,514 square kilometres (45,372 sq mi) at Western Australia's northeastern corner. The Shire's seat of government was originally in Wyndham but now in the town of Kununurra, which is home to over half of the Shire's permanent population of around 7,000, while a council office is located at Wyndham.
The Shire of Upper Gascoyne is a local government area in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, inland from Carnarvon and about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) north of the state capital, Perth. The Shire has an area of 57,939 square kilometres (22,370 sq mi), much of which is uninhabited land or sparsely vegetated sheep station country, and its seat of government is the small town of Gascoyne Junction. It has a population of 170, 56% of whom identify as Aboriginal.
The Shire of Derby–West Kimberley is one of four local government areas in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, covering an area of 104,080 square kilometres (40,186 sq mi), most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's population as at the 2016 Census was almost 8,000, with most residing in the major towns of Derby, which is also the Shire's seat of government, and Fitzroy Crossing. There are also around 70 Aboriginal communities within the Shire.
The Shire of Beverley is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia about 130 kilometres (80 mi) southeast of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 2,372 square kilometres (916 sq mi), starting 20 kilometres (12 mi) outside Armadale in the Darling Scarp and extending eastwards beyond the scarp into agricultural lands which support broad acre activities such as livestock and cropping. Its seat of government is the town of Beverley, which accommodates just over half of the Shire's population.
The Shire of Brookton is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about 140 kilometres (87 mi) southeast of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 1,602 square kilometres (619 sq mi) and its seat of government is the town of Brookton.
The Shire of Northam is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the northeastern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area centred on the town of Northam itself. The Shire covers an area of 1,431 square kilometres (553 sq mi). In 2007, it merged with the Town of Northam, almost tripling its population in the process from a previous size of 3,794.
The Shire of Kondinin is a local government area in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about 300 kilometres (186 mi) east of the state capital, Perth. The Shire's land area of 7,376 square kilometres (2,848 sq mi) forms a narrow east-west band, located between the Shire of Narembeen to the north and the Shire of Kulin to the south. Its seat of government is the town of Kondinin.
The Shire of Capel is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, taking in the land between the cities of Bunbury and Busselton about 200 kilometres (124 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 557.6 square kilometres (215.3 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Capel.
The City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder is a local government area in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, about 550 kilometres (342 mi) east of the state capital, Perth. Covering an area of 95,575 square kilometres (36,902 sq mi), the city is the 12th largest in the world, larger than the country of Portugal with a land area of 92,212 square kilometres (35,603 sq mi). Its seat of government is the town of Kalgoorlie; all but 244 of the city's population live in either Kalgoorlie or Boulder.
The Shire of Leonora is a local government area in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, about 240 kilometres (149 mi) north of the city of Kalgoorlie and about 830 kilometres (516 mi) northeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 32,189 square kilometres (12,428 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Leonora.
The Shire of Ravensthorpe is a local government area in the southern Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, about halfway between the city of Albany and the town of Esperance and about 530 kilometres (329 mi) southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 13,551 square kilometres (5,232 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Ravensthorpe.
Clackline is a locality in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) east-north-east of Perth.
The Minister for Local Government is a position in the Cabinet of Western Australia, first created in 1949 during the McLarty–Watts Ministry. The minister, who may also hold other portfolios, is responsible for the relationships between the state government and the local government areas of Western Australia, often facilitated through the WA Local Government Association (WALGA). The current Minister for Local Government is Hannah Beazley of WA Labor, who was appointed to Cabinet under a reshuffle following the appointment of Roger Cook as Premier of Western Australia.
Climate Emergency is being declared in Australia similarly to many other jurisdictions across the world. One such jurisdiction in Australia, Darebin City Council, was the first one in the world to declare a climate emergency in 2016. This page lists all known climate emergency declarations within Australian jurisdictions across all three levels of government in Australia.
Tracey Roberts is an English-born Australian politician. She was elected to the Division of Pearce in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2022 Australian federal election, succeeding Christian Porter. She was a councillor for the City of Wanneroo from 2003 to 2022, and mayor from 2011 to 2022. She was also the president of the Western Australian Local Government Association from March 2020 to 2022, a vice president of the Australian Local Government Association.