City of Parramatta

City of Parramatta
New South Wales
Map
Map
Coordinates33°49′S 151°00′E / 33.817°S 151.000°E / -33.817; 151.000
Population256,729 (2021 census) (12th)
 • Density3,056/km2 (7,920/sq mi)
Established27 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
Area84 km2 (32.4 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
Lord MayorPierre Esber
Council seatParramatta Town Hall
RegionGreater Western Sydney
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteCity of Parramatta
LGAs around City of Parramatta:
Blacktown The Hills Hornsby
Cumberland City of Parramatta Ryde
Cumberland Cumberland Canada Bay & Strathfield

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. The city houses the Parramatta central business district which is one of the key suburban employment destinations for the region of Greater Western Sydney.

History

City of Parramatta boundaries, 1949–2016

First incorporated on 27 November 1861 as the "Municipality of Parramatta", 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".

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. 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.

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".

Suburbs in the local government area

Suburbs in the City of Parramatta are:

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. The heritage-listed Parramatta Town Hall was completed in 1883 and houses the original council chamber meeting rooms as well as other function rooms.

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. 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.

Selected historical census data for Parramatta local government area
Census year 2001 2006 2011 2016
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 Steady 11th Increase 5th
% of New South Wales population 2.41% Increase 3.02%
% of Australian population 0.76% Decrease 0.75% Increase 0.78% Increase 0.97%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 23.9% Decrease 22.9% Decrease 18.1% Decrease 13.1%
English 21.8% Decrease 17.8% Decrease 16.8% Decrease 13.7%
Chinese 9.4% Increase 11.2% Increase 13.0% Increase 16.4%
Lebanese 9.5% Increase 9.7% Decrease 9.5%
Indian 3.4% Increase 5.9% Increase 9.1% Increase 10.1%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Arabic 10.1% Increase 10.7% Decrease 10.3% Decrease 3.2%
Mandarin 3.0% Increase 4.7% Increase 5.9% Increase 10.5%
Cantonese 4.6% Increase 5.0% Steady 5.0% Increase 6.5%
Korean 2.0% Increase 2.1% Increase 2.7% Increase 5.0%
Hindi 1.3% Increase 2.0% Increase 2.6% Increase 3.6%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Catholic 27.1% Decrease 26.0% Decrease 23.4% Decrease 20.8%
No religion 10.7% Increase 12.8% Increase 15.0% Increase 24.5%
Anglican 15.8% Decrease 12.9% Decrease 10.3% Decrease 8.3%
Islam 7.0% Increase 8.2% Increase 9.7%
Hinduism 2.8% Increase 5.3% Increase 8.8% Increase 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% Decrease 56.2% Decrease 52.8% Decrease 45.7%
Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse 10.7 Increase 12.4% Increase 13.4% Increase 15.2%
Flat or apartment 26.8% Increase 30.7% Increase 33.5% Increase 38.4%

Council

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. 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
Deputy Lord Mayor Patricia Prociv 25 September 2023 - present
CEO Term Notes
Gail Connolly 28 March 2023 – present CEO,
Rik Hart (Acting) 11 March 2019 – 16 September 2019 General manager Warringah and Inner West Councils
Mark Stapleton 10 July 2018 – 11 March 2019 Director of Property and Significant Assets
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

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

Sister cities

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-21 07:52 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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