Inner West Council | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location inMetropolitan Sydney | |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| Region | Inner West | ||||||||||||
| Established | 12 May 2016 (2016-05-12) | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Ashfield,Leichhardt &Petersham | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Darcy Byrne | ||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal divisions | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 35 km2 (14 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 182,818 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 5,220/km2 (13,530/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Inner West Council | ||||||||||||
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Inner West Council is alocal government area located in theInner West region ofSydney in the state ofNew South Wales,Australia. The Inner West LGA makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the formerAshfield,Leichhardt andMarrickville councils.[2][3]
The Inner West LGA covers an area of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and as at the2021 census had an estimated population of 182,818.[1]
TheMayor of Inner West Council is Darcy Byrne, re-elected by the councillors on 8 October 2024. The most recent NSW local government election, held on 14 September 2024, resulted in aLabor majority of 8 Councillors, for the second consecutive term.[4]
In the early 2010s, the New South Wales Government explored merging various local government areas to create larger councils within Sydney. In 2013, the Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP) initially proposed a merger of the six inner west councils - Burwood, Strathfield, Canada Bay, Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville, into a single council that would govern almost all of the inner west region.[5] Alternative mergers were also proposed, such as one between Auburn, Burwood and Canada Bay,[5] or between Burwood, Canada Bay, Strathfield and Ashfield.[6] The final proposal in the2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that theMunicipality of Ashfield, theMunicipality of Leichhardt and theMarrickville Council merge to form a new council with an area of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 186,000.[7] On 12 May 2016, Ashfield Council,Marrickville Council and theMunicipality of Leichhardt merged to form the Inner West Council.[2]
The Inner West Council was the first local authority inSydney to endAustralia Day celebrations, from 2020.[8]
In December 2021, a majority of voters in the Inner West LGA voted in favour of reversing the 2016 merger and separating the three pre-existing councils of Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville.[9] The final declared results were: 62% yes and 38% no.[9]
In 2022, the council prepared a business case for de-amalgamation. In December 2022, Inner West Council prepared and submitted a final submission to the NSW Minister for Local Government.[9][10]
However in March 2024, the Minister for Local Government received the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission's report regarding the Council's business case for de-amalgamation. The report recommended that the proposed de-amalgamation of Inner West Council should not proceed, stating this would be the best outcome for residents and ratepayers of the current local government area.[11]
Suburbs in the Inner West Council area are:[12]
At the2021 census, there were 182,818 people in the Inner West local government area; of these 48.8 per cent were male and 51.2 per cent were female.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.2 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 3.4 and 3.2 per cent respectively. Themedian age of people in Inner West Council was 38 years; same as the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 14.6 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.1 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 37.1 per cent were married and 10.7 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]
At the 2021 census, the proportion of residents in the Inner West local government area who stated theirancestry asAustralian or from Britain or Ireland was about 68 per cent of all residents. In excess of 49 per cent of all residents in Inner West Council nominated ano religious affiliation at the 2021 census, which was in excess of the national average of 38.4 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Inner West local government area had a higher than average proportion (42.9 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (the national average was 31.8 per cent); and a lower proportion (69.8 per cent) whereEnglish only was spoken at home (national average was 72.0 per cent).[1]
| Selected historical census data for Inner West Council local government area[a] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2021[1] | 2016[13] | 2011[14] | 2006[15] | 2001[16] | ||
| Population | Estimated residents oncensus night |  182,818 |  182,043 | 263,560 | 168,323 | 155,456 | |
| LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 14th | ||||||
| % of New South Wales population | 2.43% | ||||||
| % of Australian population | 0.78% | ||||||
| EstimatedATSI population on census night | 2,162 | 2,034 | 1,585 | 624 | 636 | ||
| % of ATSI population to residents | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.6 |  0.4% | 0.4% | ||
| Cultural and language diversity | |||||||
| Ancestry, top responses | English | 29.9% | 21.0% | 16.6% | - | - | |
| Australian | 24.4% | 16.7% | 15.7 | - | - | ||
| Irish | 13.7% | 9.8% | 7.5% | - | - | ||
| Scottish | 9.6% | 6.5% | - | - | - | ||
| Chinese | 8.5% | 5.9% | 10.3% | - | - | ||
| Language, top responses (other thanEnglish) | Mandarin | 3.3% | 3.6% | 5.9% | 6.2% | 4.0% | |
| Greek | 2.7% | 2.9% | 2.7% | - | 3.2% | ||
| Italian | 2.2% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 7.6% | 9.0% | ||
| Vietnamese | 2.0% | 2.0% | - | - | - | ||
| Cantonese | 1.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% | 5.6% | 5.3% | ||
| Religious affiliation | |||||||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion, so described | 49.7% | 40.4% | 23.6% | 15.5% | 12.7% | |
| Catholic | 20.5% | 22.4% | 31.9% | 36.2% | 38.8% | ||
| Not stated | 5.4% | 10.7% | - | - | - | ||
| Anglican | 5.8% | 7.1% | 9.6% | 10.0% | 12.1% | ||
| Eastern Orthodox | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 5.5%[b] | ||
| Median weekly incomes | |||||||
| Personalincome | Median weekly personal income | $1,207 | $957 | $723 | $534 | - | |
| % of Australian median income | 144.6% | ||||||
| Family income | Median weekly family income | $3,155 | $2,498 | $1,985 | $1,456 | - | |
| % of Australian median income | 144.1% | ||||||
| Household income | Median weekly household income | $2,340 | $2,048 | $1,662 | $1,191 | - | |
| % of Australian median income | 142.4% | ||||||
The Inner West Council comprises fifteenCouncillors electedproportionally, with three Councillors elected in fivewards. On 9 September 2017, the previous composition of the council was elected for a fixed three-year term of office (which was extended for twelve months in 2020 to December 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic);[17][2][12] the mayor is appointed biennially and deputy mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.
| Mayor | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Pearson (Administrator) | 12 May 2016 – 21 September 2017 | [3] |
| Darcy Byrne (ALP) | 21 September 2017 – 7 September 2021 | [18][19] Mayor of Leichhardt 2012–2014, 2015–2016. |
| Rochelle Porteous (GRN) | 7 September 2021 – 29 December 2021 | Mayor of Leichhardt 2011–2012, 2014–2015.[20][21] |
| Darcy Byrne (ALP) | 29 December 2021 – present | [22][23][4] |
| Deputy Mayor | Term | Notes |
| Julie Passas (Lib) | 21 September 2017 – 11 September 2018 | [18] Ashfield East Ward Councillor 2012–2016. |
| Victor Macri (Ind) | 11 September 2018 – 10 September 2019 | [24] Mayor of Marrickville 2012–2013. |
| Vittoria Raciti (Lib) | 10 September 2019 – 22 September 2020 | [25] Ashfield North East Ward Councillor 2012–2016. |
| Victor Macri (Ind) | 22 September 2020 – 7 September 2021 | [26] Marrickville Ward Councillor 2017–2021. |
| Pauline Lockie (Ind) | 7 September 2021 – 29 December 2021 | [20] |
| Jessica D'Arienzo (ALP) | 29 December 2021 – 13 September 2022 | [22] |
| Philippa Scott (ALP) | 13 September 2022 – 19 September 2023 | [27] |
| Chloe Smith (ALP) | 19 September 2023 – 2024 | [23] |
| Mat Howard (ALP) | 8 October 2024 – 2025 | |
| Chloe Smith (ALP) | 22 September 2025 – present | |
| General Manager/CEO[28] | Term | Notes |
| Vanessa Chan | 12 May 2016 – 1 September 2016 | General Manager ofAshfield Council 2010–2016[3][29] |
| Rik Hart | 9 September 2016 – 20 February 2019 | General Manager ofWarringah Council 2007–2016[30] |
| Michael Deegan | 20 February 2019 – 19 October 2020 | [31][32] |
| Elizabeth Richardson (acting) | 19 October 2020 – 30 October 2020 | [33] |
| Brian Barrett (acting) | 30 October 2020 – 9 April 2021 | General Manager of Marrickville Council 2013–2016[34][35] |
| Elizabeth Richardson (acting) | 9 April 2021 – 3 May 2021 | [36] |
| Peter Gainsford | 3 May 2021 – present | General Manager of theCity of Canada Bay 2018–2021[37] |
Themost recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council by order of election, is as follows:[38]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 8 | |
| Greens NSW | 5 | |
| Liberal Party | 1 | |
| Independents | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | |
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashfield – Djarrawunang (Magpie) Ward[39][40][41] | Izabella Antoniou | Greens | ||
| Jo Carlisle | Labor | |||
| Jessica D'Arienzo | Labor | Deputy Mayor 2021–2022.[22] | ||
| Balmain – Baludarri (Leather Jacket) Ward[42][40][41] | Ismet Tastan | Greens | ||
| Darcy Byrne | Labor | Elected 2017;Mayor 2017–2021, 2021–present;[18][19][22] | ||
| Kerrie Fergusson | Labor | |||
| Leichhardt – Gulgadya (Grass Tree) Ward[43][40][41] | Andrew Blake | Greens | ||
| Philippa Scott | Labor | Deputy Mayor 2022–2023.[27] | ||
| Vittoria Raciti | Liberal | |||
| Marrickville – Midjuburi (Lillypilly) Ward[44][40][41] | Mat Howard | Labor | Deputy Mayor 2024–present[4] | |
| Olivia Barlow | Greens | |||
| Victor Macri | Independent | |||
| Stanmore – Damun (Port Jackson Fig) Ward[45][40][41] | Liz Atkins | Greens | Elected 2021 | |
| Chloe Smith | Labor | Deputy Mayor 2023–2024.[23] | ||
| Vicki Clay | Labor | |||
The Inner West Council owns and maintains the three seats of the three pre-merger councils, being Ashfield Town Hall,Petersham Town Hall andLeichhardt Town Hall. Since 2021, all Council meetings have been held at the Ashfield Service Centre.[46]
In addition, the Council also owns the Marrickville, Balmain and St Peters town halls, which were the seats of municipal councils that had existed prior to their merger into the immediate predecessor councils.[47]
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | 46,210 | 42.54% | +3.94% | 8 | | ||
| Greens | 37,024 | 34.08% | −1.20% | 5 | | ||
| Liberal | 16,490 | 15.18% | +8.68%[c] | 1 | | ||
| Independents | 8,690 | 8.00% | −7.30% | 1 | | ||
| Libertarian | 212 | 0.20% | +0.20% | 0 | new | ||
| Formal votes | 108,626 | ||||||
| Informal votes | 3,432 | ||||||
| Total | 112,058 | ||||||
TheLiberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its two councillors elected in2017.[48]
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | 40,113 | 38.6 | +4.7 | 8 | 3 | ||
| Greens | 37,499 | 36.0 | +7.2 | 5 | | ||
| Independent | 15,967 | 15.3 | −2.7 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Independent Liberal | 6,738 | 6.5 | −11.1[d] | 0 | 2[d] | ||
| Community Independents | 1,195 | 1.1 | 0 | | |||
| Community Independent | 898 | 0.9 | 0 | | |||
| Animal Justice | 876 | 0.8 | +0.8 | 0 | | ||
| Socialist Alliance | 749 | 0.8 | –0.2 | 0 | | ||
| Formal votes | 104,035 | 96.49 | |||||
| Informal votes | 3,795 | 3.51 | |||||
| Total | 107,830 | 100.00 | |||||
| Year | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mark Drury | Labor | Tom Kiat | Greens | Julie Passas | Liberal | |||
| 2021 | Dylan Griffiths | Greens | Jessica D'Arienzo | Labor | |||||
| Year | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Darcy Byrne | Labor | Rochelle Porteous | Greens | John Stamolis | Independent | |||
| 2021 | Kobi Shetty | Greens | |||||||
| Year | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lucille McKenna | Labor | Marghanita Da Cruz | Greens | Vittoria Raciti | Liberal | |||
| 2021 | Philippa Scott | Labor | Tim Stephens | Labor | |||||
| Year | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sam Iskandar | Labor | Colin Hesse | Greens | Victor Macri | Independent | |||
| 2021 | Mat Howard | Labor | Justine Langford | Greens | Zoi Tsardoulias | Labor | |||
| Year | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | Councillor | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Anna York | Labor | Louise Steer | Greens | Pauline Lockie | Independent | |||
| 2021 | Chloe Smith | Labor | Liz Atkins | Greens | |||||
TheInner West Library Service consists of a network of 8 libraries located within the Inner West Council boundaries. After the Inner West Council amalgamation, a new library management system was launched on 1 March 2019, with asoft launch in late February allowing members to borrow from all libraries in the service.[51][52][53]
The libraries of theInner West Library Service include:[54]
It includes the following suburbs: Annandale, Ashfield, Balmain (including Balmain East), Birchgrove, Dobroyd Point, Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lewisham, Lilyfield, Marrickville, Petersham, Rozelle, Stanmore, St Peters, Summer Hill, Sydenham, Tempe and parts of: Ashbury, Camperdown, Croydon, Croydon Park, Hurlstone Park and Newtown.
The elections in 2020 were originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, 12 September 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the thenMinister for Local Government announced the postponement of these elections, first to 4 September 2021 and subsequently to 4 December 2021.
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