| City of Geraldton Greenough Western Australia |
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Location in Western Australia |
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| Population: | 38,508(2010)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Abolished: | 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 1798.3 km² (694.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Council Seat: | Geraldton | ||||||||||||
| Region: | Mid West | ||||||||||||
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The City of Geraldton-Greenough was a Local Government Area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covered an area of 1,798.3 square kilometres (694.3 sq mi), and its seat of government was the town of Geraldton.
In existence for exactly four years, it was established on 1 July 2007 through the amalgamation of the former City of Geraldton and Shire of Greenough, and itself amalgamated with the Shire of Mullewa into the City of Greater Geraldton on 1 July 2011.
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Geraldton was proclaimed as a municipal district on 21 February 1871. On 1 July 1961, it became a Town under the new Local Government Act 1960. On 22 April 1988, Geraldton attained city status.[2]
The Greenough and Geraldton Road Boards - the latter not to be confused with the Geraldton Municipality - were proclaimed on 24 January 1871. Initially, Greenough included all of Murchison, which split away on 3 August 1875 and Mullewa, which formed on 11 August 1911. In 1951, Geraldton and Greenough merged, and on 1 July 1961 became the Shire of Geraldton-Greenough under the new Local Government Act 1960. On 19 March 1965, it was renamed the Shire of Greenough.[2]
A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.
The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal.[3] However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.[4]
The councillors of both local government authorities resigned at the end of April 2007, and elections for the new local government took place in October 2007. The entity was managed by three commissioners in the interim, headed by Jeff Carr, who was the state member for Geraldton from 1974 until 1991.
Throughout 2010 and 2011 negotiations were held between the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shire of Mullewa as to whether the two entities should merge. After a long period of negotiations the entities decided to merge. A poll was requested by both communities and was held on 16 April 2011. 83.24% of voters voted against the merger in Mullewa, with 72.39% of voters against the merger in Geraldton-Greenough. However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% turnout required to be a valid poll. The two entities will merge on 1st July 2011 to become the City of Greater Geraldton[5].
The Liberal government announced its intentions to amalgamate local governments around the state in line with reforms undertaken elsewhere in Australia. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed, but a number of local governments commenced negotiations for voluntary mergers. One such group included the City, the Shire of Chapman Valley and the Shire of Mullewa. In February 2010, Chapman Valley decided not to proceed, citing community opposition.[6][7] In December 2010, the Local Government Advisory Board approved the merger.[8] Polls were held in both municipalities, with 72.61% of voters in Geraldton-Greenough and 83.23% of voters in Mullewa voting against the merger.[9] However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% required to be a valid poll, and the City of Greater Geraldton came into being on 1 July 2011.
The City was divided into six wards, each with 2 councillors.[10] The Local Government Advisory Board recommended that the mayor be elected from amongst the councillors, as opposed to a directly elected mayor such as the former City of Geraldton.
The historic populations of the area which formed Geraldton-Greenough were:
| Year | Population | Geraldton | Greenough |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 5,549 | 4,174 | 1,375 |
| 1933 | 6,540 | 4,984 | 1,556 |
| 1947 | 7,539 | 5,972 | 1,567 |
| 1954 | 9,680 | 8,309 | 1,371 |
| 1961 | 12,215 | 10,894 | 1,321 |
| 1966 | 13,719 | 12,125 | 1,594 |
| 1971 | 17,038 | 15,118 | 1,920 |
| 1976 | 20,642 | 17,663 | 2,979 |
| 1981 | 23,708 | 19,096 | 4,612 |
| 1986 | 25,721 | 19,923 | 5,798 |
| 1991 | 28,147 | 20,521 | 7,626 |
| 1996 | 30,061 | 19,724 | 10,337 |
| 2001 | 31,106 | 19,179 | 11,927 |
| 2006 | 32,461 | 18,916 | 13,545 |