City of Canterbury-Bankstown

Canterbury-Bankstown Council, trading as the City of Canterbury Bankstown, is a local government area located in the South Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 from a merger of the City of Canterbury and the City of Bankstown,^[3] after a review of local government in New South Wales by the state government. The eastern portion of the council that was once City of Canterbury falls within the northern portion of The Parish of St George above Wolli Creek and The M5 but below The Cooks River.

City of Canterbury-Bankstown New South Wales
Location of Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney area
Population	346,302 (2016 census)^[1] (4th in Australia; 2nd in NSW) 410,419 (2022 est.)^[2]
• Density	3,125.5/km^2 (8,095/sq mi)
Established	12 May 2016
Area	110.8 km^2 (42.8 sq mi)
Mayor	Bilal El-Hayek (Labor)
Region	Inner West South Western Sydney
State electorate(s)	Bankstown Canterbury East Hills Lakemba Strathfield Summer Hill
Federal division(s)	Banks Barton Blaxland Watson
Website	City of Canterbury-Bankstown
LGAs around City of Canterbury-Bankstown: Cumberland Strathfield & Burwood Inner West Fairfield City of Canterbury-Bankstown Inner West Liverpool Georges River Bayside

The City of Canterbury Bankstown comprises an area of 110.8 square kilometres (42.8 sq mi) and as per the 2021 census, had a population of 410,419 making it the second most populous local government area in New South Wales.

The current Mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown is Bilal El-Hayek, a member of the Labor Party, who was elected on 11 May 2023.

History

Early history

 

Canterbury Town Hall, opened in 1889, demolished in 1963

The traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the land now known as the Canterbury-Bankstown were the Dharug (Darag, Daruk, Dharuk) and Eora peoples. Early indigenous groups relied upon the riparian network of the Georges River and Cooks River catchments towards Botany Bay, with extant reminders of this lifestyle dating back 3,000 years including rock and overhang paintings, stone scrapers, middens and axe grinding grooves.^[4][5]

Following the arrival of Europeans in 1788, the new British settlers in the area burned oyster shells from the middens along Cooks River to produce lime for use in building mortar. The first incursions and eventual land grants in the area by Europeans led to increasing tensions, culminating in a confrontation between Europeans and a group of Aboriginal people led by Tedbury, the son of Pemulwuy, in what is now Punchbowl in 1809. However, following Tedbury's death in 1810, resistance to European settlement generally ended.^[6]

In 1793, the eastern Canterbury area's first land grant was made to the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Reverend Richard Johnson, and given the name Canterbury Vale. The District of Bankstown was named by Governor Hunter in 1797 in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The area remained very rural until residential and suburban development followed the development of the Bankstown Railway Line with the passing of the Marrickville to Burwood Road Railway Act by the NSW Parliament in 1890, extending the rail line from Marrickville Station (later Sydenham Station) to Burwood Road (later Belmore Station) by 1895.^[7] With the passing of the Belmore to Chapel Road Railway Act in 1906, the line was extended further to Lakemba, Punchbowl and Bankstown by 1909.^[7]

Local government history

Canterbury

 

The Canterbury Administration Building designed in 1963 by architects Whitehead & Payne, in Campsie, was the seat of Canterbury Council from 1963 to 2016. It is now secondary offices for Canterbury Bankstown.

After much petitioning of the State Government by local residents, the Municipality of Canterbury was proclaimed on 17 March 1879. The council first met in the home of the first mayor, Alderman John Sproule, and premises were then leased in the St Paul's Church schoolroom at 47-49 Canterbury Road, Canterbury. The Canterbury Town Hall, located on Canterbury Road between Canton and Howard Streets, was opened in 1889 by the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes. However, over time, Campsie became a more important centre, particularly along Beamish Street and Canterbury Council planned a gradual move of civic services there when funds became available.^[8] In 1954 a Baby Health Centre by Davey & Brindley opened on Beamish Street, followed by a library next door by Davey, Brindley & Vickery in 1958 at a cost of £30,000, and the municipal administration finally moved in 1963.^[8] At the time of its opening by the mayor R. J. Schofield on 26 September 1958, the Campsie Library was reputed to be the largest municipal library in Sydney.^[8][9] The Canterbury Municipal Administration Building designed by architects Whitehead & Payne, built by Rex Building Company Pty Ltd, and completed at a cost of £163,000 was opened adjacent to the Library and Baby Health Centre by the mayor, James S. Scott, on 21 September 1963.^[10][11][12] The City of Canterbury was proclaimed on 16 November 1993 by the Governor of New South Wales, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair.

Bankstown

 

Bankstown Council Chambers, designed in 1963 by Kevin J. Curtin & Partners, adjacent to Paul Keating Park in Bankstown, was the Council seat from 1963 to 2016. It is now the seat of the City of Canterbury Bankstown, and was the location of the first council meeting on 24 May 2016.

In March 1895 a petition was submitted to the NSW Colonial Government by 109 residents of the Bankstown area, requesting the establishment of the "Municipal District of Bankstown" under the Municipalities Act, 1867.^[13] The petition was subsequently accepted and the "Municipal District of Bankstown" was proclaimed by Lieutenant Governor Sir Frederick Darley on 7 September 1895.^[14] The first six-member council, standing in one at-large constituency, was elected on 4 November 1895.^[15] With the passing of the Local Government Act 1906, the council area became known as the "Municipality of Bankstown".

Bankstown's city status was proclaimed in 1980 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the "City of Bankstown".^[16]

Establishment of Canterbury-Bankstown Council

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Canterbury merge with the City of Bankstown to form a new council with an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 351,000.^[17] Following an independent review, on 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced, with the release of the Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016, that the merger with the City of Bankstown would proceed with immediate effect, creating a new council with an area of 72 square kilometres (28 sq mi).^[3]

The council was initially under the management of Administrator Richard Colley until elections were held.^[18] The first meeting of the council was held at Bankstown Council Chambers on 24 May 2016.^[19] The former Bankstown General Manager, Matthew Stewart was proclaimed as the first General Manager of the council.^[18] Jim Montague PSM, Canterbury Council General Manager from 1983 to 2016, was initially proclaimed as a Deputy General Manager of the new Council, but retired two weeks after the proclamation.^[20]

At the first council meeting on 24 May 2016, the administrator, Richard Colley, resolved to adopt city status and the council name would be known as the "City of Canterbury Bankstown" by way of changing the council's trading name and business registration.^[21] However, as this act merely changed the trading name of the council, the legal name as proclaimed in 2016 remains "Canterbury-Bankstown Council", which can only be changed by official proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette under section 206 of the Local Government Act, 1993.^[22]

Proposed de-amalgamation

In 2021, the council began resolving a proposal to de-amalgamate the City of Canterbury Bankstown. The de-amalgamation would restore the former City of Canterbury and City of Bankstown to their original boundaries. In July 2022, the council began preparations to submit a business case to the NSW government for approval.^[23]

Suburbs in the local government area

Suburbs in the City of Canterbury Bankstown area are:

• • Ashbury ^[a]
  • Bankstown
  • Bankstown Aerodrome
  • Bass Hill
  • Birrong
  • Belfield ^[b]
  • Belmore
  • Beverly Hills ^[c]
  • Campsie
  • Canterbury
  • Chester Hill ^[d]
  • Chullora
  • Clemton Park
  • Condell Park
  • Croydon Park ^[e]
  • Earlwood^[f]
  • East Hills
  • Georges Hall
  • Greenacre ^[g]
  • Hurlstone Park ^[h]
  • Kingsgrove ^[i]
  • Lakemba
  • Lansdowne
  • Leightonfield
  • Milperra
  • Mount Lewis
  • One Tree Point
  • Narwee ^[c]
  • Padstow
  • Padstow Heights
  • Panania
  • Picnic Point
  • Potts Hill
  • Punchbowl
  • Regents Park ^[d]
  • Revesby
  • Revesby Heights
  • Riverwood ^[c]
  • Roselands
  • Sefton^[d]
  • Villawood ^[j]
  • Wiley Park
  • Yagoona

Demographics

Selected historical census data for the City of Canterbury Bankstown
Census year			2016^[1]	2011^[24]	2006^[24]	2001^[24]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	346,302	319,807	300,274	294,833
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	1st
		% of New South Wales population	4.63%
		% of Australian population	1.48%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Lebanese	12.5%
		Australian	11.8%
		English	10.2%
		Chinese	9.4%
		Vietnamese	6.0%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Arabic	17.2%
		Vietnamese	7.2%
		Greek	5.4%
		Mandarin	5.0%
		Cantonese	3.9%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	23.4%
		Islam	20.8%
		No religion	15.0%
		Eastern Orthodox	8.9%
		Not stated	8.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$502
		% of Australian median income	75.8%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$1,437
		% of Australian median income	82.9%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$1,298
		% of Australian median income	90.3%

Council

The Council comprises fifteen Councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017 the current Council was elected for a fixed term of office.^[3][18] Although the fixed term of the council is typically four years, due to delays caused by amalgamations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the first term from 9 September 2017 expired on 4 December 2021.^[25] The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the Councillors for two-year and one-year terms, respectively. The City of Canterbury Bankstown was under the management of Administrator Richard Colley and Interim General Manager Matthew Stewart until elections were held on 9 September 2017 and the first meeting of the elected Council on 26 September 2017.^[18]

Officeholders

Mayor	Term	Notes
Richard Colley (Administrator)	12 May 2016 – 26 September 2017	General Manager of Bankstown 2000–2007 and Administrator of Wollongong 2010–2011^[18]^[26]
Khal Asfour	26 September 2017 – 11 May 2023	Mayor of Bankstown 2011–2014, 2015–2016^[27]^[28]^[29]^[30]^[31]
Bilal El-Hayek	11 May 2023 – present	^[32]^[33]
Deputy Mayor	Term	Notes
Nadia Saleh	26 September 2017 – 25 September 2018	^[27]
Clare Raffan	25 September 2018 – 19 September 2019	^[34]
Bilal El-Hayek	19 September 2019 – 28 September 2020	^[28]
Rachelle Harika	28 September 2020 – 29 September 2021	^[35]
Linda Downey	29 September 2021 – 24 December 2021	Mayor of Bankstown 2014–2015^[29]
Bilal El-Hayek	24 December 2021 – 29 September 2022	^[30]
Clare Raffan	29 September 2022 – 11 September 2023	^[36]^[32]
Rachelle Harika	11 September 2023 – present	^[33]
General Manager	Term	Notes
Matthew Stewart	12 May 2016 – present	General Manager of Bankstown 2010–2016^[18]

Current composition

The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, by order of election, is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Australian Labor Party	9
	Liberal Party of Australia	5
	Independent	1
	Total	15

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Bankstown Ward^[37]		George Zakhia	Liberal	Elected 2017.
		Khal Asfour	Labor	Elected 2017; Mayor 2017–2023
		Bilal El-Hayek	Labor	Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2019–2020, 2021–2022; Mayor 2023–present.
Bass Hill Ward^[38]		Charlie Ishac	Liberal	Elected 2017.
		Rachelle Harika	Labor	Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2020–2021, 2023–present.
		Christopher Cahill	Labor
Canterbury Ward^[39]		Clare Raffan	Labor	Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2018–2019, 2022–2023.
		Barbara Coorey	Independent	Canterbury West Ward Councillor 1991–1999; Canterbury Deputy Mayor 1995–1996.^[40]
		Jessie Nguyen	Liberal
Revesby Ward^[41]		David Walsh	Labor
		Charbel Abouraad	Liberal
		Linda Downey	Labor	Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2021; Mayor of Bankstown 2014–2015.
Roselands Ward^[42]		Sazeda Akter	Liberal
		Karl Saleh	Labor	Canterbury West Ward Councillor 2004–2016; Canterbury Deputy Mayor 2008–2009, 2012–2013, 2015–2016.
		Bhadra Waida	Labor

Heritage listings

The City of Canterbury Bankstown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Ashbury, Holden Street: Ashfield Reservoir^[43]
• Belmore, Burwood Road: Belmore railway station^[44]
• Canterbury, Bankstown railway: Canterbury railway station, Sydney^[45]
• Canterbury, 9 Fore Street: Bethungra, Canterbury^[46]
• Canterbury, Sugar House Road: Old Sugarmill^[47]
• Condell Park, Corner of Marion and Edgar Street: Bankstown Bunker^[48]
• Earlwood, Pine Street: Cooks River Sewage Aqueduct^[49]
• Earlwood, Unwin Street: Wolli Creek Aqueduct^[50]

International relations

Sister cities

The City of Canterbury Bankstown has 7 sister cities.^[51]

•   Broken Hill, Australia
•   Cobar Shire, Australia
•   Suita, Japan
•   Yangcheon District, Seoul, South Korea
•   Eunpyeong District, Seoul, South Korea
•   Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China
•   Colorado Springs, United States

See also

• Local government areas of New South Wales

Notes

1. with a minor portion within the Inner West Council
2. with parts within the Municipality of Strathfield
3. with parts within Georges River Council
4. with parts within Cumberland Council
5. with parts within the Municipality of Burwood and the Inner West Council
6. with a minor portion within Bayside Council
7. with a minor portion within the Municipality of Strathfield
8. with a minor portion within Inner West Council
9. with parts within Georges River Council and Bayside Council
10. with parts within the City of Fairfield

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Canterbury-Bankstown (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.  
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
3. "Canterbury-Bankstown Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
4. "Aboriginal history and places of significance". City of Canterbury Bankstown. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
5. Muir, Lesley (2013). "Aboriginal people of the Cooks River valley". The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
6. Irish, Paul (2017). "Aboriginal History along the Cooks River" (PDF). Cooks River Alliance. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
7. Larcombe, Frederick A. (1979). Change and Challenge: A History of the Municipality of Canterbury. Canterbury: Canterbury Municipal Council. pp. 194–198.
8. "Library Added to Canterbury Civic Centre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 September 1958. p. 20.
9. "Library Opened". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 September 1958. p. 18.
10. "Civic Centre's Progress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 February 1963. p. 17.
11. "101511 - Council Administration Building & Chambers, official opening, Campsie, 1963". Pictorial Canterbury. City of Canterbury Bankstown. 21 September 1963. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
12. "100913 - Canterbury City Council building, during construction, Campsie, 1962". Pictorial Canterbury. City of Canterbury Bankstown. 1962. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
13. "BANKSTOWN.—PETITION FOR A MUNICIPALITY". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 203. 23 March 1895. p. 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 603. 9 September 1895. p. 5823. Retrieved 19 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
15. "MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF BANKSTOWN". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 742. 8 November 1895. p. 7231. Retrieved 19 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
16. "Development Over Time". Bankstown City Council. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
17. "Merger proposal: Bankstown City Council, Canterbury City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
18. "Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016 [NSW] - Schedule 2 - Provisions for Canterbury-Bankstown Council" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. p. 14. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
19. Taylor, James (29 May 2016). "First Canterbury Bankstown merged council meeting with administrator Richard Colley over in a flash". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
20. Ngo, Cindy (31 May 2016). "Former Canterbury Council general manager Jim Montague steps down and bids farewell to local government after 50 years". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
21. "Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council - Held on 24 May 2016" (PDF). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
22. "Local Government Act 1993 No 30 - sec.206". NSW Legislation. NSW Government. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
23. "Proposed de-amalgamation of the City of Canterbury Bankstown". City of Canterbury Bankstown. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
24. "Population and dwellings | City of Canterbury Bankstown | Community profile". profile.id.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
25. Government, NSW. "NSW Gazette Number 347-Local Government" (PDF). Retrieved 4 September 2021.
26. (PDF). City of Canterbury Bankstown. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
27. Buckley, Danielle (2 October 2017). "Labor's Khal Asfour elected first mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
28. . City of Canterbury Bankstown. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
29. "Mayor and Deputy Mayor elected". CBCity News. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
30. "inutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council Held on 24 December 2021" (PDF). www.cbcity.nsw.gov.au. City of Canterbury Bankstown. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
31. "Khal re-elected as Mayor" (Media Release). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
32. "New Mayor to Lead our City" (Media Release). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
33. "Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor and Deputy Mayor Election" (Media Release). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
34. "Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council Held on 25 September 2018" (PDF). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
35. "Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council Held on 28 September 2020" (PDF). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
36. "Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council Held on 29 September 2022" (PDF). City of Canterbury Bankstown. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
37. "Canterbury-Bankstown - Bankstown Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
38. "Canterbury-Bankstown - Bass Hill Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
39. "Canterbury-Bankstown - Canterbury Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
40. Wainwright, Robert (13 October 1995). "Mayoral Elections: The Results - Local councils, global issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
41. "Canterbury-Bankstown - Revesby Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
42. "Canterbury-Bankstown - Roselands Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
43. "Ashfield Reservoir (Elevated) (WS 0003)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01622. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
44. "Belmore Railway Station Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01081. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
45. "Canterbury Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01109. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
46. "Bethungra". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00224. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
47. "Old Sugarmill". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00290. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
48. "Air Defence Headquarters Ruin Sydney (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01857. Retrieved 18 February 2020.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
49. "Cooks River Sewage Aqueduct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01322. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
50. "Wolli Creek Aqueduct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01355. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
51. "Sister city relationships". City of Canterbury Bankstown. Retrieved 10 March 2023.

External links

• City of Canterbury-Bankstown website