City of Ballarat

The City of Ballarat is a local government area in the west of the state of Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of 739 square kilometres (285 sq mi) and, in June 2018, had a population of 107,325.[1] It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Ballarat urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Buninyong, Waubra, Learmonth and Addington. It was formed on 6 May 1994 from the amalgamation of the City of Ballarat, Shire of Ballarat, Borough of Sebastopol and parts of the Shire of Bungaree, Shire of Buninyong, Shire of Grenville and Shire of Ripon.[2]

City of Ballarat
Victoria
Map of the City of Ballarat's municipal borders, urban areas and location in Victoria
Population107,325 (2018)[1]
 • Density145.23/km2 (376.14/sq mi)
Established6 May 1994
Gazetted6 May 1994[2]
Area739 km2 (285.3 sq mi)[1]
MayorCr Des Hudson
Council seatCentral
RegionGrampians
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Ballarat
WebsiteCity of Ballarat
LGAs around City of Ballarat:
Pyrenees Hepburn Hepburn
Pyrenees City of Ballarat Moorabool
Golden Plains Golden Plains Moorabool

The City is governed and administered by the Ballarat City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Ballarat, it also has a service centre located in Buninyong. The City is named after the main urban settlement lying in the centre-south of the LGA, Ballarat, which is also the LGA's most populous urban area with a population of 105,471.[3]

Council

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Current composition

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Ballarat City Council
Type
Type
Council of the City of Ballarat
Structure
Council political groups
  Labor: 2 seats
  Greens: 1 seat
  Independent: 3 seats
  Liberal: 3 seats

The council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward.[4]The current Council, elected in 2020, in order of election by ward, is:[5]

WardPartyCouncillorNotes
Central IndependentMark Harris
 LiberalSamantha McIntosh[6]
 GreensBelinda Coates[7]
North LiberalAmy Johnson[6]
 IndependentPeter EddyDeputy Mayor, Former CEO of Basketball Ballarat
 LaborDaniel Moloney
South LaborDes Hudson[6]Mayor
 LiberalBen Taylor
 IndependentTracey Hargreaves

Administration and governance

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The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Ballarat Town Hall Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Ballarat, and its service centre in Buninyong.

The council's main offices are in a modern extension behind the Town Hall called The Phoenix. In 2009 the council voted to move to a new headquarters at Civic Hall on Mair Street,[8] which would turn the heritage listed Town Hall building into a public general purpose venue.

2023 Council Review

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Prior to the 2024 Election , The Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a review into the electoral structure of multiple Victorian Councils including the City of Ballarat[9] As part of this review it was deemed that from the 2024 Election, the council would take up nine single-councillor wards, namely:

  • Alfredton Ward
  • Brown Hill Ward
  • Buninyong Ward
  • Central Ward
  • Delacombe Ward
  • Golden Point Ward
  • North Ward
  • Sebastopol Ward
  • Wendouree Ward

Election results

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2020

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2020 Victorian local elections: Ballarat[10]
PartyVotes%SwingSeatsChange
 Independent20,26629.57−17.823 1
 Independent Liberal17,40325.39−1.923 1
 Labor17,21325.11+11.622
 Greens11,61416.94+4.131
 Australia First1,3912.03+2.030
 Animal Justice6590.96+0.960
 Formal votes68,54697.97
 Informal votes1,4202.03
 Total69,966100.0
 Registered voters / turnout84,69482.61

2016

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2016 Victorian local elections: Ballarat[11]
PartyVotes%SeatsChange
 Independent27,25746.392 1
 Independent Liberal16,04327.314 1
 Labor7,92513.492
 Greens7,52712.811
 Formal votes58,752100.0

Townships and localities

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The 2021 census, the city had a population of 113,763 up from 101,686 in the 2016 census[12]

Population
Locality20162021
Addington7165
Alfredton9,22011,822
Ascot9693
Bakery Hill164180
Bald Hills^107114
Ballarat Central5,3285,378
Ballarat East5,6235,937
Ballarat North3,9254,041
Black Hill2,1262,124
Blowhard8482
Bo Peep^2125
Bonshaw210949
Brown Hill3,5824,489
Buninyong^3,7143,797
Bunkers Hill261270
Burrumbeet^232249
Population
Locality20162021
Canadian3,6094,098
Cardigan7541,064
Cardigan Village667957
Chapel Flat00
Coghills Creek7180
Creswick^3,1703,279
Delacombe6,2975,408
Durham Lead^392408
Ercildoune^7090
Eureka626633
Glen Park^103110
Glendaruel5249
Glendonald1112
Golden Point2,1072,217
Gong Gong96
Invermay835900
Population
Locality20162021
Invermay Park1,8141,692
Lake Gardens1,6951,801
Lake Wendouree2,8822,878
Learmonth438396
Lucas1,0142,994
Magpie371368
Miners Rest3,0953,829
Mitchell Park868887
Mount Bolton2929
Mount Clear3,3903,671
Mount Helen2,9753,011
Mount Pleasant2,2032,225
Mount Rowan294295
Nerrina962970
Newington1,9001,844
Population
Locality20162021
Redan2,8893,000
Scotchmans Lead97105
Scotsburn^258244
Sebastopol10,03210,194
Smythes Creek^1,4671,762
Soldiers Hill2,8032,813
Sulky^232234
Tourello3946
Warrenheip^669721
Wattle Flat^97104
Waubra^275308
Weatherboard5152
Wendouree10,44510,376
Windermere9796
Winter Valley*3,440

^ - Territory divided with another LGA
* - Not noted in 2016 Census

Sister cities

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The City of Ballarat's sister cities are:[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Order Constituting the City of Ballarat..." Victoria Government Gazette (S23). State Government of Victoria: 1. 6 May 1994. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  4. ^ Local Government in Victoria. "Ballarat City Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. ^ VEC. "Ballarat City Council election results 2016". Victorian Electoral Commission. Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Oliver, Jordan (19 May 2014). "Timeline of party politics in Ballarat City Council". The Courier.
  7. ^ "Your Representatives". Australian Greens Victoria.
  8. ^ Quinlan, Kim (18 May 2010). "Ballarat City Council to commit $850k for Civic Hall site design". The Courier. Fairfax Regional Media. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Ballarat City Council electoral structure review Final Report" (PDF). Victorian Electoral Commission. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Ballarat City Council election results 2020". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  11. ^ "Ballarat City Council election results 2016". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  12. ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Sister cities build more than a cultural bond". The Courier. Fairfax Regional Media. 17 October 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
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37°33′00″S 143°51′00″E / 37.55000°S 143.85000°E / -37.55000; 143.85000