City of Parramatta

This article is about the local government area. For the locality, see Parramatta.

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 2016 census, City of Parramatta had an estimated population of 226,149.^[2] The city houses the Parramatta central business district which is one of the key suburban employment destinations for the region of Greater Western Sydney.

City of Parramatta New South Wales
Located in Metropolitan Sydney
Coordinates	33°49′S 151°00′E / 33.817°S 151.000°E / -33.817; 151.000
Population	256,729 (2021 census)^[1] (12th)
• Density	3,056/km^2 (7,920/sq mi)
Established	27 November 1861 (Municipality) 27 October 1938 (City)
Postcode(s)	2153, 2152, 2151, 2150, 2147, 2146, 2145, 2142, 2141, 2128, 2127, 2122, 2121, 2119, 2118, 2117, 2116, 2115, 2114
Area	84 km^2 (32.4 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Lord Mayor	Pierre Esber
Council seat	Parramatta Town Hall
Region	Greater Western Sydney
State electorate(s)	Epping Parramatta Ryde Winston Hills
Federal division(s)	Bennelong Greenway Mitchell Parramatta Reid
Website	City of Parramatta
LGAs around City of Parramatta: Blacktown The Hills Hornsby Cumberland City of Parramatta Ryde Cumberland Cumberland Canada Bay & Strathfield

History

 

City of Parramatta boundaries, 1949–2016

First incorporated on 27 November 1861 as the "Municipality of Parramatta",^[3] the first mayor was emancipated convict John Williams who arrived in the colony in 1835. The council became known as the "Borough of Parramatta" on 23 December 1867 following the enactment of the Municipalities Act, 1867, and became a Municipality again following the 1906 Local Government Act. On 27 October 1938, the Local Government (City of Parramatta) Act was passed by the Parliament of New South Wales and proclaimed by the governor, Lord Wakehurst, making the town the "City of Parramatta".^[4][5]

From 1 January 1949 the "City of Parramatta" was re-formed following the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, when the councils of Ermington and Rydalmere (incorporated 1891), Dundas (incorporated 1889) and Granville (incorporated 1885) were merged into the council area. The Parramatta local government area was further expanded through the transfer of 10.7 km² from the Municipality of Blacktown in 1972 taking in Winston Hills which has not serviced since this time.^[6] In recognition of Parramatta's role Bi-centennial (coinciding with the Australian Bi-centennial), the title of 'Lord Mayor' was granted on 12 December 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of Premier Nick Greiner. This made Parramatta the third Australian city that was not a capital to receive such an honour, after Newcastle and Wollongong.

2016 amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Parramatta be reformed, adding areas from several adjoining councils. The NSW Government subsequently proposed a merger of parts of Parramatta (Woodville Ward), Auburn and Holroyd and a second merger of parts of the rest of Parramatta and parts of Auburn, The Hills, Hornsby, and Holroyd to form a new council.^[7][8]

On 12 May 2016, Parramatta City Council was abolished by the NSW Government. Parts of Auburn City Council (south of the M4 Western Motorway) and Parramatta City Council (Woodville Ward), and Holroyd City Council merged to form the Cumberland Council as a new local government area and the remainder of the Parramatta City Council, Auburn City Council north of the M4 Western Motorway (including Sydney Olympic Park), and small parts of Hornsby Shire, Holroyd and The Hills Shire were merged into the reformed "City of Parramatta".^[9][10]

Suburbs in the local government area

Suburbs in the City of Parramatta are:^[10]

• Baulkham Hills (shared with The Hills Shire)
• Beecroft (shared with Hornsby Shire)
• Camellia
• Carlingford
• Clyde
• Constitution Hill
• Dundas
• Dundas Valley
• Eastwood (shared with the City of Ryde)
• Epping
• Ermington
• Granville (shared with Cumberland Council)
• Harris Park
• Lidcombe (shared with Cumberland Council)
• Mays Hill (shared with Cumberland Council)
• Melrose Park (shared with City of Ryde)
• Newington
• North Parramatta
• Northmead
• North Rocks (shared with The Hills Shire)
• Oatlands
• Old Toongabbie
• Parramatta
• Pendle Hill (shared with Cumberland Council)
• Rosehill
• Rydalmere
• Seven Hills (shared with City of Blacktown)
• Silverwater
• Sydney Olympic Park [Autonomous]
• Telopea
• Toongabbie (shared with City of Blacktown and Cumberland Council)
• Winston Hills (shared with The Hills Shire)
• Wentworth Point
• Wentworthville (shared with Cumberland Council)
• Westmead (shared with Cumberland Council)

Facilities

The City of Parramatta Council operates a central library, heritage centre and six branch libraries at Carlingford, Constitution Hill, Dundas Valley, Epping, Ermington and Wentworth Point. It also provides a public swimming pool at Epping, five childcare centres and over ten community centres.^[11][12] The heritage-listed Parramatta Town Hall was completed in 1883 and houses the original council chamber meeting rooms as well as other function rooms.^[13]

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 226,149 people in the City of Parramatta local government area that comprised 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi), of these 50% were male and 50% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.7% of the population. The median age of people in the City of Parramatta was 34 years; notably below the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.4% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 12.2% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 55.4% were married and 9% were either divorced or separated.^[2] At the 2016 Census, the Parramatta local government area was linguistically diverse, with a significantly higher than average proportion (54.2%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2%); and a significantly lower proportion (41.47) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7%). The most commonly reported religious affiliation was "No Religion", at 24.5%. The proportion of residents who stated a religious affiliation with Hinduism was approximately six times the national average, with the median weekly income for residents slightly above the national average.^[2]

Selected historical census data for Parramatta local government area
Census year			2001^[14]	2006^[15]	2011^[16]	2016^[2]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	143,143	148,323	166,858	226,149
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		11th	11th	5th
		% of New South Wales population			2.41%	3.02%
		% of Australian population	0.76%	0.75%	0.78%	0.97%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian	23.9%	22.9%	18.1%	13.1%
		English	21.8%	17.8%	16.8%	13.7%
		Chinese	9.4%	11.2%	13.0%	16.4%
		Lebanese	9.5%	9.7%	9.5%
		Indian	3.4%	5.9%	9.1%	10.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Arabic	10.1%	10.7%	10.3%	3.2%
		Mandarin	3.0%	4.7%	5.9%	10.5%
		Cantonese	4.6%	5.0%	5.0%	6.5%
		Korean	2.0%	2.1%	2.7%	5.0%
		Hindi	1.3%	2.0%	2.6%	3.6%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	27.1%	26.0%	23.4%	20.8%
		No religion	10.7%	12.8%	15.0%	24.5%
		Anglican	15.8%	12.9%	10.3%	8.3%
		Islam	7.0%	8.2%	9.7%
		Hinduism	2.8%	5.3%	8.8%	11.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$443	A$544	A$722
		% of Australian median income		95.1%	94.3%	109.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,043	A$1,451	A$1,933
		% of Australian median income		101.6%	98.0%	111.5%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,172	A$1,288	A$1,759
		% of Australian median income		100.0%	104.4%	122.3%
Dwelling structure
Dwelling type		Separate house	61.2%	56.2%	52.8%	45.7%
		Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse	10.7	12.4%	13.4%	15.2%
		Flat or apartment	26.8%	30.7%	33.5%	38.4%

Council

See also: List of mayors and lord mayors of Parramatta

 

Parramatta Town Hall, the seat of the council since 1883

 

City of Parramatta sign, Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford

Between May 2016 and September 2017, the council was managed by an administrator appointed by the Government of New South Wales, Amanda Chadwick, until the first election for councillors took place on 9 September 2017.^[10] The City of Parramatta Council comprises fifteen councillors elected proportionally, with three councillors in each ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Lord Mayor is elected for a two-year term, with the Deputy Lord Mayor for one year, by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.

Office-holder		Term	Notes
Lord Mayor	Pierre Esber	25 September 2023 – present	^[17]
Deputy Lord Mayor	Patricia Prociv	25 September 2023 - present
CEO^[18]		Term	Notes
Gail Connolly		28 March 2023 – present	CEO, ^[19]
Rik Hart (Acting)		11 March 2019 – 16 September 2019	General manager Warringah and Inner West Councils^[20]
Mark Stapleton		10 July 2018 – 11 March 2019	Director of Property and Significant Assets^[21]
Sue Coleman (interim)		19 January 2018 – 10 July 2018	Group Manager City Services
Greg Dyer		12 May 2016 – 19 January 2018	CEO, Parramatta City Council 3 February 2014 – 12 May 2016^[10]^[22]^[23]^[24]^[25]

Current composition

 

A map of the five wards, showing party representation as of the 2021 local elections.

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

Party		Councillors
	Australian Labor Party	7
	Our Local Community	4
	Independents	2
	Lorraine Wearne Independents	1
	The Greens	1
	Total	15

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Dundas Ward^[26]		Pierre Esber	Labor	Elected 1999–2016, 2017–present. Lord Mayor 2023-present.
		Michelle Garrard	Our Local Community	Elected 2017, Deputy Lord Mayor 2017–2022.^[27]
		Kellie Darley	Independent
Epping Ward^[28]		Donna Davis	Labor	Elected 2017, Lord Mayor 2022–2023.^[29]
		Lorraine Wearne	Lorraine Wearne Independents	Elected 1995–2016, 2017–present, Lord Mayor 2000–2001, 2011–2012.
		Cameron MacLean	Labor
North Rocks Ward^[30]		Ange Humphries	Labor
		Georgina Valjak	Independent
		Donna Wang	Our Local Community
Parramatta Ward^[31]		Henry Green	Our Local Community
		Sameer Pandey	Labor	Elected 2017, Deputy Lord Mayor 2022–2023, Lord Mayor 2023.^[29]^[32]
		Phil Bradley	Greens	Elected 2017.
Rosehill Ward^[33]		Patricia Prociv	Labor	Elected 2017.
		Dan Siviero	Our Local Community
		Paul Noack	Labor

Election results

2021

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 New South Wales local elections § Parramatta.[edit]

The Liberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its six councillors elected in 2017.^[34]

2021 New South Wales local elections: Parramatta^[34]

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor		46,022	41.5	+10.3	7	2
	Our Local Community		21,476	19.4	+12.3	4	2
	Greens		11,233	10.1	+2.7	1
	Lorraine Wearne Independents		9,423	8.5	+4.4	1
	Independent Liberal		6,310	5.7	−30.8^[a]	1	5^[a]
	Kellie Darley Independents		4,637	4.2	+4.2	1	1
	Lee Malkoun Independents		3,489	3.1	−5.9^[b]	0	^[b]
	Small Business		3,126	2.8	+2.8	0
	Liberal Democrats		2,161	2.0	+2.0	0
	Independent		1,882	1.7		0
	Community Need Not Corporate Greed		1,026	0.9	+0.9	0
Formal votes			110,785	95.23
Informal votes			5,547	4.77
Total			116,332	100.0

Sister cities

•   Beersheba, Israel
•   Cebu City, Philippines^[37]
•   Jung District, Seoul, South Korea
•   Phetchaburi, Thailand
•   Putian, China
•   Vũng Tàu, Vietnam^[38][39]

See also

•  New South Wales portal
•  Politics portal

• Local government areas of New South Wales

Notes

1. Compared with the Liberal Party result at the 2017 election.^[35][36]
2. Compared with The Local Independent Party result at the 2017 election.^[35]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Parramatta (C)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Parramatta (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.  
3. "MUNICIPALITY OF PARRAMATTA". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 265. New South Wales, Australia. 28 November 1861. p. 2552. Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
4. Arfanis, Peter (22 October 2013). "Parramatta No Longer a Town!". Research Services. City of Parramatta Council. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
5. "PARRAMATTA AS A CITY". The Sun. No. 8984. New South Wales, Australia. 21 October 1938. p. 11. Retrieved 29 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Local Government Act 1919 – Proclamation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 35. New South Wales, Australia. 30 March 1972. p. 1104. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Merger proposal: Auburn City Council (part), Holroyd City Council (part), Parramatta City Council (part)" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
8. "Merger proposal: Parramatta City Council (part), Auburn City Council (part), The Hills Shire Council (part), Hornsby Shire Council (part), Holroyd City Council (part)" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 8. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
9. Saulwick, Jacob; Kembrey, Melanie; McKenny, Leisha (14 May 2016). "NSW council amalgamations announced". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
10. "Local Government (City of Parramatta and Cumberland) Proclamation 2016 [NSW] - Schedule 1 - Provisions for City of Parramatta Council". NSW Government. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
11. "Book a Venue". Halls, Community Centres & Meeting Rooms. City of Parramatta Council. 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
12. "Childcare | City of Parramatta". www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
13. "Town Hall and Potential Archaeological Site". NSW Heritage Register. NSW Office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Parramatta (C)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2012.  
15. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Parramatta (C)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Parramatta (C)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2012.  
17. Tribune, The National (22 May 2023). "Councillor Sameer Pandey elected new Lord Mayor of Parramatta". The National Tribune. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
18. General Manager until August 2017.
19. "City of Parramatta announces appointment of new CEO | City of Parramatta". www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
20. "City of Parramatta Council Appoints New Acting CEO | City of Parramatta". www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
21. "City of Parramatta appoints new Chief Executive Officer | City of Parramatta". www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
22. "Parramatta appoints Greg Dyer as new CEO". Western Sydney Business Access. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
23. "CONTRACT EXTENSION FOR GREG DYER" (Media Release). City of Parramatta. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
24. Taouk, Maryanne (15 December 2017). "Parramatta Council general manager Greg Dyer resigns". Parramatta Advertiser. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
25. "GREG DYER TO DEPART AS CITY OF PARRAMATTA CEO" (Media Release). City of Parramatta Council. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
26. "City of Parramatta – Dundas Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
27. Stevens, Kylie (26 September 2017). . Parramatta Sun. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
28. "City of Parramatta – Epping Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
29. "Councillor Donna Davis elected new Lord Mayor of Parramatta". City of Parramatta. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
30. "City of Parramatta – North Rocks Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
31. "City of Parramatta – Parramatta Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
32. "City of Parramatta announces appointment of new CEO | City of Parramatta". www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
33. "City of Parramatta – Rosehill Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
34. "City of Parramatta". ABC News.
35. "City of Parramatta". ABC News.
36. "Parramatta council election, 2021". The Tally Room.
37. "Rama renews ties with Xiamen City". philstar.com. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
38. "Vietnamese flag raised in Australian city". Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney. Retrieved 21 March 2017.^{[dead link]}
39. Minh Thanh (3 May 2005). "Parramatta always supports Vung Tau policies of development, says Lord Mayor of Parramatta". Bao Ba Ria Vung Tau. Retrieved 21 March 2017.

External links

• City of Parramatta Council website
• Discover Parramatta
• Riverside Theatre Parramatta