Undivided council
{{Short description|Australian local government term for a council that does not have any wards}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2024}}
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In Australian local government, an undivided council (also referred to as unsubdivided, a single ward or an at-large ward) is a council that does not have any wards, meaning all councillors are elected in a single area representing the entire local government area (LGA).
History
=Queensland=
Following a series of amalgamations in 2008, a number of newly created councils moved to undivided structures, even if the pre-amalgamated councils used wards.{{cite web |title=Govt makes new Mackay council undivided |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-09-28/govt-makes-new-mackay-council-undivided/683888 |publisher=ABC News |date=28 September 2007}}
Some of these changes only lasted until the 2012 local elections. In Longreach, wards were initially used but replaced in 2012, and in Townsville, the undivided structure was replaced in 2012.{{cite web |title=2011- 2012 Annual Report |url=https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/2886/2011-12-Annual-Report.pdf |publisher=Electoral Commission of Queensland}}
As of 2024, 54 of Queensland's 77 LGAs are undivided.{{cite web |title=Is my council a divided, multi-member divided or undivided council? |url=https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/61922/Local-government-elections-Councils-list.pdf |publisher=Electoral Commission of Queensland}}
=Victoria=
As a result of the Local Government Act 2020, all rural-based councils in Victoria now have the option to become undivided or have equal-sized multi-member wards.{{cite web |title=Victorian local government review prompts concerns about female representation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-19/victoria-council-elections-women-local-government-ward-structure/102610146 |publisher=ABC News}} From the 2024 local elections onwards, the City of Melbourne will be the only metropolitan local government area in Victoria using an undivided structure.{{cite web |last1=Raue |first1=Ben |title=Victorian council ward reviews eradicating PR in Melbourne |url=https://www.tallyroom.com.au/51578 |publisher=The Tally Room}}
Electoral systems
In New South Wales and Victoria, undivided councils use forms of proportional representation.{{cite web |title=The many party systems of NSW councils |url=https://www.tallyroom.com.au/44180 |publisher=The Tally Room |access-date=14 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402002555/https://www.tallyroom.com.au/44180 |archive-date=2 April 2024 |date=29 October 2021}}{{cite web |title=Greater Shepparton City Council election results 2020 |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/results/council-election-results/2020-council-election-results/greater-shepparton-city-council |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission}} In Queensland, plurality block voting (also referred to as first-past-the-post by the Electoral Commission) is used.{{cite web |title=Qld Local Government |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/bcc/2024/guide/local-elections |publisher=ABC News}}