City of Warrnambool

Warrnambool was first incorporated as a municipality on 7 December 1855. It became a borough on 1 October 1863, and a town on 2 February 1883. It was proclaimed as a city on 8 April 1918. On 25 October 1955 and 1 October 1978, it annexed part of the south riding of the Shire of Warrnambool, expanding its area progressively to {{convert|34.43|km2|sqmi|2}} by the time of Victoria's local government amalgamations.{{cite book|title=Victorian Municipal Directory|year=1992|publisher=Arnall & Jackson|location=Brunswick|pages=518–519}} Accessed at State Library Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.

In 1993, the new Kennett Liberal government announced a program of local government reform, in which many of Victoria's 210 councils were to be amalgamated. The southwest region containing 23 councils was the first to be reviewed, and the City of Warrnambool sought to be part of the process early on. Warrnambool's strength in tertiary education and manufacturing was taken into account.{{cite news|title=Bush councils in Victoria's southwest face a shakeup|last=Taylor|first=Thomas|work=The Age|location=Melbourne|date=26 February 1994|page=1}} By June, it was clear that Warrnambool would be the only municipality in the region to be spared, and that it would gain Allansford and some other rural areas from the Shire of Warrnambool.{{cite news|title=23 councils become 8 in board's proposal|last=Gettler|first=Leon|work=The Age|location=Melbourne|date=17 June 1994|page=7}} On 23 September 1994, the council was dismissed and replaced with a Government-appointed commissioner.{{cite news|title=Councils merged and rates frozen|last=Gettler|first=Leon|work=The Age|location=Melbourne|date=24 September 1994|page=10}} It first held elections for a new council in March 1996.{{cite book|url=http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/76E601D6DB55E88ACA25722500049195/$File/12570_1994-95.pdf|title=Victorian local government amalgamations 1994–1995: Changes to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification|department=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=1 August 1995|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|page=11|isbn=0-642-23117-6|access-date=5 January 2008}}

The council is composed of seven councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.{{Cite web|title=Warrnambool City Council|url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/electoral-boundaries/local-councils/warrnambool-city-council|access-date=2020-11-23|website=vec.vic.gov.au}}

The most recent council election was declared on 10 November 2020,{{Cite web|title=Warrnambool City Council election results 2020|url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/results/2020-council-election-results/warrnambool-city-council|access-date=2020-11-23|website=vec.vic.gov.au}} with the Councillors sworn into office on 23 November 2020.{{Cite web|title=Results of the Warrnambool City Council 2020 election|url=https://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/news/results-warrnambool-city-council-2020-election|access-date=2020-11-23|website=warrnambool.vic.gov.au}} At their first meeting, Councillors resolved to elect both a Mayor and Deputy Mayor, each for a term of 12 months.{{Cite web|title=New mayor and deputy mayor|url=https://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/news/new-mayor-and-deputy-mayor|access-date=2020-11-23|website=warrnambool.vic.gov.au|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515195337/https://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/news/new-mayor-and-deputy-mayor|url-status=dead}}

Prior to the statewide amalgamations of the 1990s, the council had four wards and twelve councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward; the former wards were Albert, Hopkins, Merri and Victoria. The new council then had, until 2004, seven wards and seven councillors, with one councillor per ward elected to represent each ward. However post-2004, following an electoral representation review, the decision was made to keep the seven councillors, but abolish the wards, as the review concluded that the geography and natural features of Warrnambool didn't support the retention of equal wards, and that the City of Warrnambool as a whole was a single community of interest.{{cite web |url=http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/resources/WarrnamboolFinalReport.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904212712/http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/resources/WarrnamboolFinalReport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 September 2006 |title=Final Report – Electoral Representation Review – Warrnambool City Council |author=Victorian Electoral Commission |author-link=Victorian Electoral Commission |date=10 May 2004 |access-date=14 December 2013 }}

Former wards from 1996 to 2004:

• Botanic Ward
• Cassady Ward
• Levy Ward
• Pertobe Ward
• Proudfoot Ward
• Sherwood Ward
• Wollaston Ward

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Warrnambool Civic Centre, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre in Warrnambool.

The city of Warrnambool is dominated by the Warrnambool urban area, which represents {{convert|35.0|km2|sqmi|1}}, or 29.0%, of the city's area and at the 2006 census had a population of 28,150.{{Census 2006 AUS|id=UCL256200|name=Warrnambool (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=11 March 2008|quick=on|map=yes}}

The 2021 census, the city had a population of 35,406 up from 33,655 in the 2016 census{{cite web |title=Census {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=11 January 2023}}

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• Warrnambool
• List of localities in Victoria

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/ Warrnambool City Council official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091003003615/http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/location/view/121 Metlink local public transport map]
• [http://services.land.vic.gov.au/landchannel/jsp/map/InteractiveMapIntro.jsp Link to Land Victoria interactive maps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324211834/http://services.land.vic.gov.au/landchannel/jsp/map/InteractiveMapIntro.jsp |date=24 March 2022 }}
• [https://warrnamboolhistory.org.au/ Warrnambool & District Historical Society]

{{Towns in the City of Warrnambool}}

{{Local Government Areas of Victoria}}

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Category:Local government areas of Victoria (state)

Category:Barwon South West (region)

Category:Warrnambool