View source for Local government in Australia

{{Short description|Third-level government in Australia}}
{{About|the third-level government division in Australia|the first level|Australian Government|the second level|States and territories of Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
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'''Local government''' is the third level of [[government]] in [[Australia]], administered with limited [[autonomy]] under the [[states and territories of Australia|states and territories]], and in turn beneath the [[Australian Government|federal government]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Democracy in Australia – Australia's political system|url=http://www.australiancollaboration.com.au/pdf/Democracy/Australias-political-system.pdf|publisher=Australian Collaboration|access-date=25 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127041502/http://www.australiancollaboration.com.au/pdf/Democracy/Australias-political-system.pdf|archive-date=27 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Local government is not mentioned in the [[Constitution of Australia]], and two [[referendum]]s in [[1974 Australian referendum (Local Government Bodies)|1974]] and [[1988 Australian referendum#Local Government|1988]] to alter the Constitution relating to [[local government]] were unsuccessful.<ref name="uow" /> Every state/territory government recognises local government in its [[state constitutions in Australia|own respective constitution]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://localgovrecognition.gov.au/content/final-report.html |title=Appendix G Local government in State constitutions |date=December 2011 |work=Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=24 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510030317/http://localgovrecognition.gov.au/content/final-report.html |archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref> Unlike the two-tier local government system in [[local government in Canada|Canada]] or the [[local government in the United States|United States]], there is (largely) only one tier of local government in each Australian state/territory, with no distinction between [[county|counties]] and [[city|cities]].

The Australian local government is generally run by a [[Municipal council#Australia|council]], and its territory of [[public administration]] is referred to generically by the [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] as the '''local government area''' or '''LGA''', each of which encompasses multiple [[suburbs and localities (Australia)|suburbs or localities]] (roughly equivalent to neighborhoods) often of different [[postcodes in Australia|postcodes]]; however, stylised terms such as "city", "[[borough]]", "[[List of regions of Australia|region]]" and "[[shire]]" also have a geographic or historical interpretation. The council [[board of directors|board members]] are generally known as [[councillor]]s, and the head councillor is called the [[mayor]] or shire president.  As of August 2016, there were 547 local councils in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://regional.gov.au/local/|title=Local Government|date=17 August 2016|work=Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010212851/http://regional.gov.au/local/|archive-date=10 October 2016}}</ref>

Despite the (largely) single tier of local governance in Australia, there are a number of extensive regions with relatively low populations that are not a part of any established LGA. Powers of local governments in these [[unincorporated area]]s may be exercised by special-purpose [[governing body|governing bodies]] established outside of the local legislation, as with [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]'s [[ski resort|alpine resorts]]; or directly administered by state/territory governments, such as the entirety of the [[Australian Capital Territory]]. The administrative area covered by local government councils in Australia ranges from as small as {{convert|1.5|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} for the [[Shire of Peppermint Grove]] in the [[Perth metropolitan region]], to as big as {{convert|372571|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} for the [[Shire of East Pilbara]] in [[Western Australia]]'s [[Pilbara]] region.

As an exception to the generalisation that Australian local government has only a single tier, New South Wales has [[County council (New South Wales)|county councils]], which are special purpose local governments governing county districts composed of two or more LGAs; variously responsible for water supply, flood mitigation and weed management; formerly they also played significant role in urban planning, electricity distribution, and some also operated abattoirs. By the 21st century, only a handful remain, with the majority of New South Wales LGAs no longer belong to any county council.

==Types of local government==
[[Image:Australian local government areas.png|thumb|Local government areas in Australia.]]
[[Image:BerriganShireOffice.JPG|thumb|Offices of the [[Berrigan Shire Council]] in [[Berrigan, New South Wales]].]]
[[Image:SydneyTownHall gobeirne.jpg|thumb|Offices of the [[City of Sydney]] council, a local government area within Sydney.]]
[[Image:Melbourne Town Hall-Collins Street.JPG|thumb|[[Melbourne Town Hall]], the offices of the [[City of Melbourne]] council.]]
Local governments are subdivisions of the [[Australian states|six federated states]] as well as the [[Northern Territory]]. The term "local government area" (LGA) is used by the ABS to collectively refer to all local government administrative zones regardless of the varying designations.The [[Australian Capital Territory]] has no separate local government, and municipal functions in [[Canberra]] and the surrounding regions (normally performed by local governments in other states) are performed by the ACT territorial government.  

Local government authorities across the country have similar functions and powers,{{Cn|date=October 2021}} but have different official designations in different states, which may vary based on whether the LGA is regional or for historical reasons. Below is a table that lists the various designations per state. 

{| class="wikitable"
|+Australian LGA status by state/territory<ref name="LG" />
!State/territory
!LGA status
|-
|New South Wales
|Cities
Areas
|-
|Northern Territory
|Cities

Towns

Municipalities

Shires
|-
|Queensland
|Cities

Shires

Towns

Regional councils
|-
|South Australia
|Cities
Rural cities

Municipalities/municipal councils

District councils

Regional councils

Towns

Aboriginal councils
|-
|Tasmania
|Cities

Municipalities
|-
|Victoria
|Cities

Rural cities

Boroughs

Shires
|-
|Western Australia
|Cities

Towns

Shires
|}

Most urban municipalities in all states are "cities".<ref name="LG">{{Cite web|date=2020-06-16|title=Local Government Areas (LGAs) - 1270.0.55.003 - Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 3 - Non ABS Structures, June 2020|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1270.0.55.003~June%202020~Main%20Features~Local%20Government%20Areas%20(LGAs)~3|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031010950/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1270.0.55.003~June%202020~Main%20Features~Local%20Government%20Areas%20(LGAs)~3 |archive-date=2021-10-31}}</ref> Many in Western Australia are officially "towns", even within the Perth metropolitan area.<ref name="LG" /> Many rural areas in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia are "shires", while rural areas in South Australia have "district councils", and those in Tasmania officially use the title "municipality".<ref name="LG" /> Due to the Australian Capital Territory's small size it has no local government and is instead overseen by the [[Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly|ACT Legislative Assembly]].<ref name="LG" />

Sometimes designations other than "city" or "shire" are used in the names of LGAs, and today the stylised titles of "[[town]]", "[[borough]]", "[[municipality]]", "[[district]]", "[[region]]", "community government", "[[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] council/shire" and "island" are used in addition. The word "municipality" occurs in some states with differing meanings: in [[New South Wales]] it is typically used for older urban areas, and the word is used for some rural towns in [[South Australia]]. Larger towns and small metropolitan exurban centres in [[Queensland]] and [[Western Australia]] simply use the term "town", while in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] they are designated as "rural city". Historically, the word "borough" was common for small towns and suburban centers in Victoria, but nowadays only the [[Borough of Queenscliffe]] remains as the one and only borough in the entire country. New South Wales and Queensland have also introduced a new term "region" for [[outback]] LGAs formed by the [[merger (politics)|amalgamation]] of smaller shires and rural cities. In New South Wales, where the [[Local Government Act]] does not mandate adopting a designation, some local government areas are legally known simply as "council", such as [[Port Macquarie-Hastings Council]], [[Inner West Council]] and [[Federation Council, New South Wales|Federation Council]]. Some rural areas in South Australia are known as "district council", and all the LGAs in [[Tasmania]] that were previously municipalities have been renamed "council".

Almost all local councils have the same administrative functions and similar political structures, regardless of their naming, and retain a particular designation ("shire", "borough", "town", "city") for historical reasons only. They will typically have an elected council and usually a mayor or shire president responsible for chairing meetings of the council. In some councils, the mayor is a [[directly elected]] figure, but in most cases the mayor is elected by the [[board of directors|board]] of fellow [[councillor]]s. The powers of mayors vary as well; for example, mayors in Queensland have broad executive functions, whereas mayors in New South Wales are essentially ceremonial [[figurehead]]s who can only exercise power at the discretion of the council.

Most of the capital city LGAs administer only the [[central business district]]s and nearby [[inner suburb|central suburb]]s. A notable exception is the [[City of Brisbane]], the most populous LGA in the country, which administers a significant part of the [[Brisbane]] [[metropolitan area]]. In most cases, when a city's population statistics are used, it is the [[list of cities in Australia by population|statistical division]] population rather than the local government area.

=== Local governments by type and state ===
The following table provides a summary of local government areas by states and territories by local government area types as of December 2023:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right"
!Local government area types
![[Local government areas of New South Wales|NSW]]
![[Local government areas of Victoria|Vic]]
![[Local government areas of Queensland|Qld]]
![[Local government areas of Western Australia|WA]]
![[Local government areas of South Australia|SA]]
![[Local government areas of Tasmania|Tas]]
![[Local government areas of the Northern Territory|NT]]
![[Government of the Australian Capital Territory|ACT]]<ref>The Australian Capital Territory does not have a separate system of local government such as that seen in other states and the Northern Territory. Local government functions in the ACT are instead handled directly by the Territory government. The [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] refers to the whole of the ACT as an unincorporated local government area.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=2016 Census QuickStats: Unincorporated ACT|url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA89399?opendocument|access-date=2020-08-01|website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au|language=en}}</ref>
!Total
|-
|align=left| [[Australian Aboriginals|Aboriginal]] [[Municipal council#Australia|councils]] |||  ||  ||  ||  |||2  |||  ||  ||  |||'''2'''
|-
|align=left| [[Australian Aboriginals|Aboriginal]] [[shire]]s |||  ||  |||12 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |||'''12'''
|-
|align=left| [[Borough#Australia|Boroughs]] ||| |||1 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |||'''1'''
|-
|align=left| [[City|Cities]] |||30 |||34 |||8 |||27 |||21 |||6 |||2 ||  |||'''128'''
|-
|align=left| [[Municipal council#Australia|Councils]] |||32<ref name="areas">All LGAs in New South Wales that are not cities are classified as "areas" in the Local Government Act. Some may choose to retain their titles held under older versions of the act, tabulated here. Others have no title and refer to themselves as "[geographical area] Council".</ref> ||  ||  ||  ||17 ||23 ||2  ||  |||'''74'''
|-
|align=left| [[Local government areas of South Australia|District councils]] |||  ||  ||  ||  |||23 ||  ||  ||  |||'''23'''
|-
|align=left| [[Municipality|Municipalities]] |||2<ref name="areas"/> ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |||'''2'''
|-
|align=left| [[Municipal council#Australia|Regional councils]] |||9<ref name="areas"/> ||  |||29 |||  |||4 ||  ||9 ||  |||'''51'''
|-
|align=left| [[Rural area|Rural]] [[City|cities]] |||  |||6 ||  ||  |||1 ||  ||  ||  |||'''7'''
|-
|align=left| [[Shire]]s |||55<ref name="areas"/> |||38 |||28 |||104 ||  ||  ||2 ||  |||'''227'''
|-
|align=left| [[Town#Australia|Towns]] |||  ||  |||1 |||8 |||2 ||  |||2 ||  |||'''13'''
|-
|align=left| '''Sub-total''' |||'''128''' |||'''79''' |||'''78''' |||'''139''' |||'''70''' |||'''29''' |||'''17''' ||| '''0''' |||'''540'''
|-
|align=left| [[Unincorporated area|Unincorporated]] |||2 |||9 ||  ||2 |||1 ||  |||7 |||1 ||'''22'''
|-
|align=left| '''Total''' |||'''130''' |||'''88''' |||'''78''' |||'''141''' |||'''71''' |||'''29''' |||'''24''' |||'''1''' |||'''562'''
|}
Note the above table does not include the [[County council (New South Wales)|county councils]] of New South Wales, which while a form of local government are not classified as being local government areas.

===Classification===
The Australian Classification of Local Governments (ACLG) categorises local governing authorities using the population, the [[population density]] and the proportion of the population that is classified as being [[urban area|urban]] for the council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://regional.gov.au/local/publications/reports/2013_2014/INFRA2466_LGNR_2013-14.pdf|title=Local Government National Report 2013–14|date=July 2015|work=Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development|page=Appendix F|access-date=27 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217075917/http://regional.gov.au/local/publications/reports/2013_2014/INFRA2466_LGNR_2013-14.pdf|archive-date=17 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The classification, at the two-digit level, is:

* RA{{spaced endash}} Rural Agricultural
* RS{{spaced endash}} Rural Significant
* RT{{spaced endash}} Rural Remote
* UC{{spaced endash}} Urban Capital
* UD{{spaced endash}} Urban Developed
* UF{{spaced endash}} Urban Fringe
* UR{{spaced endash}} Urban Regional

==Powers and functions==
[[Image:Caboolture Shire Council.JPG|thumb|Offices of the [[Moreton Bay Regional Council]] in [[Caboolture, Queensland|Caboolture]], [[Queensland]].]]

All local governments are approximately equal in their theoretical powers, although LGAs that encompass large cities such as [[City of Brisbane|Brisbane]] and the [[City of Gold Coast|Gold Coast]] command more resources due to their larger population base. Unlike local governments in many other countries, services such as police, fire protection and schools are provided by respective state or territory governments rather than by local councils. However, local governments still maintain some responsibility for fire service functions within Queensland and Western Australia.

The councils' chief responsibility in the first half of the 20th century was the provision of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and sewerage.<ref name="lciagw">{{cite book |title=Local Government in a Global World: Australia and Canada in Comparative Perspective |last=Brunet-Jailly |first=Emmanuel |author2=John Francis Martin |year=2010 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0802099631 |pages=82–84 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgrrstseiHAC |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527184832/https://books.google.com/books?id=EgrrstseiHAC |archive-date=27 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> From the 1970s the emphasis changed to community facilities such as libraries and parks, maintenance of local roads, town planning and development approvals, and local services such as waste disposal.  Child care, tourism and urban renewal were also beginning to be part of local governments' role.  These are financed by collection of local land taxes known as "rates", and grants from the state and Commonwealth governments. They are caricatured as being concerned only with the "three Rs": Rates, Roads and Rubbish.

However, the roles of local government areas in Australia have recently expanded as higher levels of government have devolved activities to the third tier.  Examples include the provision of community health services, regional airports and pollution control<ref name="lciagw"/> as well as community safety and accessible transport.<ref name="tplgr"/> The changes in services has been described as a shift from 'services to property' towards 'services to people'.<ref name="tplgr"/> Community expectations of local government in Australia have risen in the 21st century partly as a result of wider participation in [[decision-making]] and [[corporate transparency|transparent]] management practices.<ref name="lciagw"/>

Recent years have seen some State governments devolving additional powers onto LGAs. In Queensland and Western Australia LGAs have been granted the power to independently enact their own local [[primary and secondary legislation|subsidiary legislation]], in contrast to the previous system of [[by-laws]]. Councils also have organised their own representative structures such as Local Government Associations and [[Regional Organisations of Councils]].

Doctrines of [[New Public Management]] have shaped state government legislation towards increased freedoms aiming to allow greater flexibility on the part of local governments.<ref name="tplgr">{{cite book |title=The Theory and Practice of Local Government Reform |last=Dollery |first=Brian E. |author2=Lorenzo Robotti |year=2008 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1781956687 |pages=93–96 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pF_ncy3Wyn8C |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501084016/https://books.google.com/books?id=pF_ncy3Wyn8C |archive-date=1 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
There is no mention of local government in the [[Constitution of Australia]], though it is mentioned several times in the [[Annotate]]d Constitution of Australia.<ref name=annotated>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft |title=The annotated constitution of the Australian Commonwealth (1901) |access-date=9 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325103029/https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft |archive-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://adc.library.usyd.edu.au/data-2/fed0014.pdf |title=The annotated constitution of the Australian Commonwealth (1901) |access-date=9 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411012727/http://adc.library.usyd.edu.au/data-2/fed0014.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> "Municipal institutions and local government" appears in Annotation 447, and "Power of the Parliament of a Colony" appears under "Residuary Legislative Powers" on pages 935 and 936.

The first official local government in Australia was the [[City of Perth|Perth Town Trust]], established in 1838, only three years after British colonisation of Western Australia.<ref name="uow">{{cite conference |url=http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=lawpapers |author=Kelly, A. H. |title=The Development of Local Government in Australia, Focusing on NSW: From Road Builder to Planning Agency to Servant of the State Government and Developmentalism |format=Paper |event=World Planning Schools Congress 2011 |location=Perth |date=4–8 July 2011 |publisher=[[University of Wollongong]] |access-date=1 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011225005/http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=lawpapers |archive-date=11 October 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[City of Adelaide|Adelaide Corporation]] followed, created by the province of South Australia in October 1840. The [[City of Melbourne]] and the [[City of Sydney|Sydney Corporation]] followed, both in 1842.<ref name="uow" /><ref name="cmh">{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/History/Pages/CouncilHistory.aspx |title=Council history |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704074004/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/History/Pages/CouncilHistory.aspx |archive-date=4 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> All of these early forms failed; it was not until the 1860s and 1870s that the various colonies established widespread stable forms of local government, mainly for the purpose of raising money to build roads in rural and outer-urban regions. Council representatives attended conventions before [[Federation of Australia|Federation]], however local government was unquestionably regarded as outside the Constitutional realm.<ref name="uow" />

In the 1970s, the [[Whitlam government]] expanded the level of funding to local governments in Australia beyond grants for road construction. General purpose grants become available for the first time.<ref name="algrar">{{cite book |title=Australian Local Government: Reform and Renewal |last=Dollery |first=Brian E. |author2=Marshall, Neil |year=1997 |publisher=Macmillan Education AU |isbn=0732929040 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S_XqbJ3ViuoC |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515194929/https://books.google.com/books?id=S_XqbJ3ViuoC |archive-date=15 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Reforms===
Significant reforms took place in the 1980s and 1990s in which state governments used metrics and efficiency analysis developed within the private sector in the local government arena. Each state conducted an inquiry into the benefits of council amalgamations during the 1990s.<ref name="lgr" /> In the early 1990s, Victoria saw the number of local councils reduced from 210 to 78.<ref name="lgr" /> South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland saw some reductions in the number of local governments while Western Australia and New South Wales rejected compulsory mergers.  New South Wales eventually forced the merging of some councils. The main purpose of amalgamating councils was for greater efficiency and to improve operations, but forced amalgamation of councils is sometimes seen as a dilution of [[representative democracy]].<ref name="lgr">{{cite book |title=Local Government Reform: A Comparative Analysis of Advanced Anglo-American Countries |last=Dollery |first=Brian E. |author2=Joseph Garcea, Edward C. Lasage, Jr. |year=2008 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1782543862 |pages=18–19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2EH2pXtNesC |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502004546/https://books.google.com/books?id=y2EH2pXtNesC |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

An increase in the range of services offered by councils, but only minor cost savings of less than 10% have been noted by academics as outcomes after mergers. The council mergers have resulted in widespread job losses and lingering resentment from some whose roles have experienced a larger workload.<ref name="lgr" />

The growth of the [[Regional Organisations of Councils]] has also been a factor in local government reform in Australia.<ref name="lgr" /> In 1995, there were 50 such agreements across the country.  A 2002 study identified 55 ROCs with the largest involving 18 councils.<ref name="lgr" />

==Constitutional position==
Local government powers are determined by state governments, and states have primary responsibility for funding and exclusive responsibility for supervision of local councils.

Local government is mentioned in the annotated Australian constitution, as a department of the State Governments, and they are mentioned in the constitutions of each of the six states.

Under the Constitution, the federal government cannot provide funding directly to local governments; a [[1974 Australian referendum (Local Government Bodies)|1974 referendum]] sought to amend the Constitution to authorise the federal government to directly fund local governments, but it was defeated.

A [[Australian referendum, 1988 (Local Government)|1988 referendum]] sought to explicitly insert mention of local government in the federal constitution but this was comprehensively defeated. A further referendum was [[Proposed 2013 Australian constitutional referendum|proposed in 2013]], but was cancelled due to the change in the [[2013 Australian federal election|election date]].

Federal government interaction with local councils happens regularly through the provision of federal grants to help fund local government managed projects.

===State/territory control===
[[File:Australia Victoria LGAs by largest council faction.svg|thumb|Victoria LGAs by largest council faction as of December 2022.]]
[[File:New South Wales LGA map by largest council faction.svg|thumb|New South Wales LGAs by largest council faction as of December 2022.]]

Local government in Australia has very limited [[legislative power]]s and no [[judicial power]]s, and [[executive (government)|executive]]-wise is subject to the exclusive [[jurisdiction]] of the state/territory it belongs to. The functions and practices of local councils are mostly centered around managing [[public service]]s and [[land use]]s at the [[community]] level, and are similar throughout Australia, but can vary to some degree between jurisdictions. State departments oversee the activities of local councils and may intervene in their affairs when needed, subject to relevant legislation.<ref name="tplgr"/>

For more details in each state and territory, see the following:

* [[Local government areas of New South Wales]]
* [[Local government areas of the Northern Territory]]
* [[Local government in Queensland]]  and [[Local government areas of Queensland]] (list)
* [[Local government areas of South Australia]]
* [[Local government areas of Tasmania]]
* [[Local government in Victoria]] and [[Local government areas of Victoria]] (list)
* [[Local government areas of Western Australia]]

The [[Australian Capital Territory]] is not divided into local government areas, so it is regarded as a single "unincorporated" local government area during [[census in Australia|census]]ing.

==Unincorporated areas==
Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. Aside from very sparsely populated areas and a few other special cases, almost all of Australia is part of a local government area. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations.

[[Queensland]] and [[Tasmania]] are entirely partitioned into LGAs and have no unincorporated areas.

===Australian Capital Territory===
The [[Australian Capital Territory]] (ACT) has no municipalities. The [[Government of the Australian Capital Territory|ACT government]] is responsible for both state-level and local-level matters. In some countries, such an arrangement would be referred to as a [[unitary authority]], but the [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] refers to the whole of the ACT as an unincorporated area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2016 Census QuickStats: Unincorporated ACT|url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA89399?opendocument|access-date=2020-08-01|website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au|language=en}}</ref>

The ACT Government directorate [[Transport Canberra & City Services]] handles responsibilities that are under the purview of local government in other parts of Australia, such as local road maintenance, libraries and waste collection.

Many Canberra districts have community organisations called "community councils", but these are not part of the government (though they generally receive government funding). They do not have the power to change laws or policies, and their role is limited to advising government. They are effectively [[neighborhood association|residents' associations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/246/~/act-community-councils|title=ACT community councils|website=Access Canberra|access-date=23 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203013326/https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/246/~/act-community-councils|archive-date=3 February 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===New South Wales===
[[New South Wales]] has three unincorporated areas:

* [[Lord Howe Island]] is managed by the [[Lord Howe Island Board]], a State Government agency.
* The [[Unincorporated Far West Region]] covers the western third of the state (other than the [[City of Broken Hill]]). This area is sparsely populated. Local government functions in this area are managed directly by the state government and its agencies.
* The [[Sydney Harbour National Park|Sydney Harbour Area]], managed by the State Government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS Web Application |url=https://portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f2c3502ac16d45db8e3cd0e0192e228c |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au}}</ref>

===Northern Territory===
In the [[Northern Territory]], 1.47% of the total area and 3.0% of the population are in unincorporated areas. These include the Cox-Daly and Marrakai-Douglas Daly areas in the [[Top End]] region,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/cox-daly-and-marrakia-douglas-daly|publisher=Northern Territory Government|access-date=30 December 2023|title=Proposal to incorporate unincorporated areas in the Cox-Daly and Marrakai-Douglas Dalys|date=21 July 2017}}</ref> the [[Northern Territory Rates Act Area]] and [[Darwin Waterfront Precinct]] within [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], [[Nhulunbuy]] on the [[Gove Peninsula]], [[Alyangula, Northern Territory|Alyangula]] on [[Groote Eylandt]], and [[Yulara, Northern Territory|Yulara]] in [[Central Australia]].<ref name="asgc">{{cite web|url=https://dbr.abs.gov.au/region.html?lyr=lga&rgn=79399|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=30 December 2023|title=Region summary: Unincorporated NT|date=2023}}</ref>

===South Australia===
In [[South Australia]], 63% of the state's area is unincorporated. Residents in this area – less than 0.2% of the state's population – receive municipal services provided by a state agency, the [[Outback Communities Authority]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to the Outback Communities Authority |url=https://www.oca.sa.gov.au/|publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref>

===Victoria===
{{main|Local government in Victoria#Unincorporated areas}}
[[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] has a number of unincorporated areas which are not part of any LGA, including [[French Island (Victoria)|French Island]], the six alpine resorts ([[Falls Creek Alpine Resort]], [[Lake Mountain (Victoria)|Lake Mountain Alpine Resort]], [[Mount Baw Baw|Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort]], [[Mount Buller, Victoria|Mount Buller Alpine Resort]], [[Mount Hotham|Mount Hotham Alpine Resort]], and [[Mount Stirling|Mount Stirling Alpine Resort]]) and [[Gabo Island]].

The [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] includes numerous other uninhabited offshore islands, including [[Lady Julia Percy Island]], in its definition of unincorporated areas of Victoria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 Unincorporated Vic, Census All persons QuickStats |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/LGA29399 |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>

===Western Australia===
[[Western Australia]] has two unincorporated areas:

* [[Houtman Abrolhos|Abrolhos Islands]], which are officially uninhabited and controlled by the WA [[Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development]].
* [[Kings Park, Western Australia|Kings Park]] in central Perth, which is administered by the [[Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority]].

==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|Australia|Politics}}}}
* [[Australian Government]]
* [[Australian Local Government Association]]
* [[Australian Local Government Fossil Fuel Divestment]]
* [[List of cities in Australia by population#List of local government areas by population|List of local government areas by population]]
* [[List of local government areas of Australia]]
* [[Undivided council]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Citations ==
* {{cite web|title=Table 1: Population growth and turnover in Local Government Areas (LGAs), 2006 to 2011|date=25 November 2009|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&Population%20growth%20and%20turnover%20in%20Local%20Government%20Areas%202006%20to%202011.xls&1380.0.55.007&Data%20Cubes&027E069DBA81A5E2CA257AF7000D10C4&0&2006-2011&21.01.2013&Latest|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|access-date=10 August 2015}} – Spreadsheet of population data for local government areas in the 2006 and 2011 Australian census

==External links==
{{commons category|Local government in Australia}}
* [https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1216.0Jul%202008?OpenDocument July 2008 maps, Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)]
* [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/9f0b5791ed98061fca256f1900128409?OpenDocument Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) 2005]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060616215201/http://www.dotars.gov.au/local/index.aspx Australian Government]
* [http://australianpolitics.com/states/local/ australianpolitics.com]
* [https://www.lgfocus.com.au/ Local Government Focus (newspaper)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070616091454/http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/ Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council]
* [http://lgam.wikidot.com/ Local Government & Municipal Knowledge Base]

{{Aus LGA}}
{{Politics of Australia}}
{{Oceania topic|Local government in}}
{{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of Oceanian countries}}

[[Category:Local government in Australia| ]]
[[Category:Politics of Australia]]
[[Category:Local government areas of Australia| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Australia]]
[[Category:Lists of subdivisions of Australia|Local Government Areas]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in Oceania|Australia 2]]