Bayside Council

For the local government area in Melbourne, see City of Bayside.

Bayside Council is a local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located around part of Botany Bay, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Sydney CBD. It includes suburbs of Southern Sydney as well as a portion in the Eastern Suburbs.^[3] It comprises an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had a population of 156,058.^[4][1]

Bayside Council New South Wales
Location in Metropolitan Sydney
Rockdale Town Hall
Population	156,058 (2016 census)[1] 174,378 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	3,120/km2 (8,100/sq mi)
Established	9 September 2016 (2016-09-09)
Area	50 km2 (19.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Bill Saravinovski
Council seat	Rockdale Town Hall
Region	Metropolitan Sydney (Southern Sydney, Eastern Suburbs)
Parish	Botany, St George
State electorate(s)	Heffron Kogarah Maroubra Rockdale
Federal division(s)	Barton Cook Kingsford Smith
Website	Bayside Council
LGAs around Bayside Council: Inner West Sydney Randwick Canterbury-Bankstown Bayside Council Randwick Georges River Sutherland Sutherland

The council was formed on 9 September 2016 from the merger of the City of Botany Bay and the City of Rockdale.^[5]

The Council's mayor is Bill Saravinovski, of the Australian Labor Party, elected by the Council on 20 September 2023.

Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the Bayside Council area are:

• Arncliffe
• Banksia
• Banksmeadow
• Bardwell Park
• Bardwell Valley
• Bexley
• Bexley North
• Botany
• Brighton-Le-Sands
• Carlton (parts are located in Georges River Council)
• Daceyville
• Dolls Point
• Earlwood (parts are located in Canterbury-Bankstown council)
• Eastgardens
• Eastlakes
• Hillsdale
• Kingsgrove (parts are located in Canterbury-Bankstown & Georges River Council)
• Kogarah (parts are located in Georges River Council)
• Kyeemagh
• Matraville (most is located in City of Randwick)
• Mascot (minor part located in Inner West Council)
• Monterey
• Pagewood (minor part is located in City of Randwick)
• Ramsgate (parts are located in Georges River Council)
• Ramsgate Beach
• Rockdale
• Rosebery (parts are located in City of Sydney council)
• Sandringham
• Sans Souci (parts are located in Georges River Council)
• Turrella
• Wolli Creek

Bayside Council also manages and maintains the following localities:

• Bardwell Creek
• Bado-berong Creek
• Cooks Cove
• Lady Robinson Beach
• Landing Lights Wetland (Riverine Park Wetlands)
• Muddy Creek
• Rockdale Bicentennial Park
• Rocky Point
• Sandringham Bay
• St Kilda Point
• Sydney Airport Wetlands
• Wolli Creek Valley

History

Early local government history

Rockdale

The City of Rockdale was originally proclaimed as the "Municipal District of West Botany" on 13 January 1871.^[6] From 1872, Council met in the first Council Chambers, a small purpose-built stone building on the western side of Rocky Point Road, Arncliffe. It continued in use until 11 December 1888, when a new Town Hall was opened on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, Rockdale.^[7] By the time the neighbouring Boroughs of Botany and North Botany (Mascot from 1911) were proclaimed on 29 March 1888, it was clear that a name change was desirable. On 17 May 1888 the Parliament of New South Wales passed the Rockdale Municipality Naming Act (No.33, 1888), and West Botany became the "Municipal District of Rockdale".^[8] The 1887 Town Hall was replaced by the current Rockdale Town Hall in 1940, and was designed by Rockdale architect Douglas Gardiner.^[9] Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the Municipality of Bexley, which was located immediately to the West and had separated from Hurstville in 1900, became the First Ward of Rockdale Municipality.^[10] Rockdale was declared a city in 1995 as the "City of Rockdale".^[11][12]

Botany

The City of Botany Bay was first proclaimed on 29 March 1888 as the "Borough of Botany", and met from 1899 to 2016 in the Botany Town Hall.^[13][14] The northern section of the City of Botany Bay was first incorporated as the "Borough of North Botany" on 29 March 1888.^[15] From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the councils were renamed as the "Municipality of North Botany" and the "Municipality of Botany". The Municipality of North Botany was renamed as the "Municipality of Mascot" on 31 October 1911.^[16] Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the Municipality of Mascot was amalgamated into Botany, within a reconstituted Municipality of Botany. Botany remained a municipality until 11 May 1996, when it was proclaimed the "City of Botany Bay".^[17]

Establishment of Bayside Council

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Botany Bay amalgamate with the City of Rockdale to form a new council with an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 153,000.^[18]

There was significant community opposition to the merger from within both communities. In Botany Bay, residents were given the chance to have their say in a community poll which was held on 27 February 2016.^[19] Ultimately 97.8 per cent of Botany Bay residents voted 'no' when asked the question 'Do you agree that the City of Botany Bay should merge with Rockdale City Council?'.^[20] Rockdale City Council indicated their preference to merge with the City of Kogarah and the City of Hurstville, forming a single "St George Council".^[21][22] Botany Bay also attempted to seek a compromise by proposing to merge with the City of Randwick and parts of the City of Sydney.^[23][24]

With the proclamation of the majority of council amalgamations on 12 May 2016, the City of Botany Bay Council appealed the decision in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, thereby delaying the proposed amalgamation until a decision was made by the Court. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal in early September 2016, and the Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole, moved quickly to proclaim the formation of Bayside Council on 9 September 2016, with the former administrator of Central Darling Shire, Greg Wright, appointed as the Administrator.^{[5][25][26][27]} On 9 September 2017, the first council consisting of fifteen councillors across 5 wards was elected, and the former mayor of Rockdale, Bill Saravinovski, was elected as the first mayor on 27 September.^[28][29]

The early period of the council was punctuated by revelations of the extent of issues inherited from the former Botany Bay Council, including an antiquated vehicle fleet costing millions of dollars to replace, and the legacy of ICAC investigations that uncovered the significant misappropriation of funds and fraud by former Botany Bay Council employees, which had led to 12 individuals being recommended for prosecution.^[30][31] The first mayor of Bayside Council, Bill Saravinovski, in particular noted that, "The legacy of the misappropriations and costs of remediation result[ed] in a net fund deficit of $17 million, placing Bayside Council at a significant disadvantage".^[32][33][34]

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 156,058 people in the Bayside local government area; of these 49.5 per cent were male and 50.5 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.0 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in Bayside Council was 35 years; slightly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 61.6 per cent were married and 7.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.^[4][1]

At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Bayside local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 29 per cent of all residents. In excess of 51 per cent of all residents in Bayside Council nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was below the national average of 57.7 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Bayside local government area had a lower than average proportion (20.7 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (41.1 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent).^[4][1]

Selected historical census data for Bayside Council local government area
Census year			2016[4][1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	156,058
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	17th
		% of New South Wales population	2.09%
		% of Australian population	0.67%
		Estimated ATSI population on census night	1,555
		% of ATSI population to residents	1.00%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English	14.95%
		Australian	14.80%
		Chinese	13.81%
		Greek	8.98%
		Lebanese	5.10%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Greek	7.06%
		Mandarin	6.71%
		Arabic	5.85%
		Cantonese	3.80%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	23.55%
		No religion, as described	20.49%
		Eastern Orthodox	12.54%
		Not stated	9.44%
		Islam	8.72%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$693
		% of Australian median income	104.68%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$1,833
		% of Australian median income	105.71%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$1,601
		% of Australian median income	111.34%

Council

Bayside Council has fifteen councillors, with three councillors elected in each of five wards by a preferential voting system. On 9 September 2017 the first council was elected.^[5] The mayor is appointed biennially and deputy mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.^[25]

Mayor	Term	Notes
Greg Wright (Administrator)	9 September 2016 – 27 September 2017	GM Camden 2004–12, Broken Hill 2013, Administrator Central Darling 2013–16.[25][35][36][37]
Bill Saravinovski (ALP)	27 September 2017 – 25 September 2019	Mayor of Rockdale 2015–2016[29]
Joe Awada (ALP)	25 September 2019 – 29 September 2021	[38]
Bill Saravinovski (ALP)	29 September 2021 – 4 December 2021	[39]
Christina Curry (ALP)	5 January 2022 – 20 September 2023	[40]
Bill Saravinovski (ALP)	20 September 2023 – present	[41][42]
Deputy Mayor	Term	Notes
Joe Awada (ALP)	27 September 2017 – 25 September 2019	Rockdale Fourth Ward Councillor 2004–2016[29]
James Macdonald (IND)	25 September 2019 – 29 September 2021	[38][43]
Michael Nagi (IND)	29 September 2021 – 4 December 2021	[39]
Scott Morrissey (ALP)	5 January 2022 – 20 September 2023	[39]
Joe Awada (ALP)	20 September 2023 – present	[41]
General Manager	Term	Notes
Meredith Wallace	9 September 2016 – present	General Manager of Rockdale 2011–2016[25][44]

Current composition

The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, by order of election, is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Australian Labor Party	7
	Independents	7
	The Greens	1
	Total	15

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Ward 1[45]		Christina Curry	Labor	Elected 2017; Botany Bay Ward Three Councillor 2012–2016; Mayor 2022—2023.
		Scott Morrissey	Labor	Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2022—2023.
		Jennifer Muscat	Independent
Ward 2[46]		Jo Jansyn	Labor
		Ann Fardell	Labor
		Michael Nagi	Independent	Elected 2017 (Liberal); Rockdale Deputy Mayor 2015–2016; Deputy Mayor 2021–2022.[39]
Ward 3[47]		Bill Saravinovski	Labor	Elected 2017; Mayor 2017–2019, 2021–2022, 2023–present.[29][39]
		Greta Werner	The Greens
		Andrew Tsounis	Independent	Elected 2017; Rockdale First Ward Councillor 2012–2016.
Ward 4[48]		Liza Barlow	Independent	Elected 2017; Rockdale Deputy Mayor 2012–2015.
		Joe Awada	Labor	Elected 2017; Mayor 2019–2021; Deputy Mayor 2017–2019, 2023–present.[29][38][41]
		Mark Hanna	Independent
Ward 5[49]		Paul Sedrak	Independent	Ward 1 Councillor (Liberal) 2017–2021; Rockdale Fourth Ward Councillor 2012–2016.
		Edward McDougall	Labor
		Heidi Douglas	Peaceful Bayside

Ward names

Owing to a perceived confusion over the ward names, particularly from members of the public not able to distinguish between their ward and their suburb, at its meeting on 14 November 2018, Bayside Council voted to exhibit changes to the ward names: "Port Botany Ward" to Ward 1, "Mascot Ward" to Ward 2, "Rockdale Ward" to Ward 3, "Bexley Ward" to Ward 4, and "Botany Bay Ward" to Ward 5.^[50] At the subsequent meeting on 13 February 2019, Bayside Council voted to adopt these changes, despite the public consultation resulting in 69% of 83 submissions not supporting the change of ward names to numbers.^[51]

Election results

2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Bayside

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor		28,136	34.6	−11.1	6	1
	Liberal		22,088	27.2	+17.9[lower-alpha 1]	5	3[lower-alpha 1]
	Peaceful Bayside		11,536	14.2	+10.5	2	1
	Greens		10,281	12.7	−0.8	1
	Independents		9,192	11.3	−16.5	1	3
Formal votes			81,233
Informal votes
Total						15
Registered voters / turnout

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Inner Sydney § Bayside results.[edit]

2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Bayside^[52]

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor		37,157	45.7	−0.3	7
	Independent		22,563	27.8	+7.8	4	1
	Independent Liberal		7,564	9.3	−17.9[lower-alpha 2]	2	5[lower-alpha 2]
	Peaceful Bayside		3,015	3.7		1	1
	Greens		10,969	13.5	+6.8	1	1
Formal votes			81,268

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 New South Wales local elections in Inner Sydney § Bayside.[edit]

The Liberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its five councillors elected in 2017.^[52][53]

Council logo

In August 2017, Bayside Council selected its new logo via a public competition and vote, with Mascot resident, Ray Kurniawan's design winning.^[55] The logo depicts a sailing boat above water, with Kurniawan describing its symbolism: "The concept to use the boat came from the idea that to move forward in a boat everyone has to row together. Bayside is a new community and to move forward everyone needs to work together".^[56]

See also

• New South Wales portal

• Local government areas of New South Wales

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Rockdale (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
3. "Merger Proposal:City of Botany Bay Council & Rockdale City Council" (PDF). NSW Government. January 2016. p. 13. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Botany Bay (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
5. "Bayside Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
6. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 8. New South Wales, Australia. 13 January 1871. p. 99. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "ROCKDALE TOWN HALL". The Australian Star. No. 323. New South Wales, Australia. 13 December 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "No. XXXIII. An Act to alter the name of the Municipal District of West Botany. [Assented to, 17th May, 1888.]". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 323. New South Wales, Australia. 21 May 1888. p. 3505. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 16 January 1940. p. 7. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
10. "3804 Municipality of Bexley". State Records Archives Investigator. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
11. Horne, Paul. A Century of Progress Rockdale 1871–1971. Lane Cove: Rockdale Municipal Council.
12. Geeves, Phillip; Jervis, J (1986). Rockdale: its beginning and development (Revised ed.).
13. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 216. New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1888. p. 2404. Retrieved 14 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "MUNICIPALITY OF BOTANY". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 539. New South Wales, Australia. 21 August 1888. p. 5893. Retrieved 14 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
15. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 216. New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1888. p. 2404. Retrieved 3 November 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
16. "Changing boundaries, changing names: the history behind Bayside Council". History At Bayside. Bayside Council. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
17. "History". City of Botany Bay. Archived from the original on 22 June 2000. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
18. "Merger proposal: City of Botany Bay Council, Rockdale City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
19. Trembath, Murray (29 February 2016). "Botany Bay says 'I don't' to Rockdale". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
20. "Council Community Poll 2016". Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
21. Galinovic, Maria (3 February 2016). "Kogarah and Hurstville Council amalgamation talks continue". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
22. Bliss, Raylene (8 March 2016). "BOTANY BAY, ROCKDALE, KOGARAH AND HURSTVILLE CALL FOR MINISTER TO QUASH AIRPORT COUNCIL MERGER PROPOSAL". Southern Courier. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
23. "Randwick mayor wanted merger 20 years ago". Retrieved 17 December 2016.
24. Needham, Kirsty (11 January 2016). "Council merger blueprint claims Rabbitohs heartland as Sydney Roosters gain". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
25. "Local Government (Bayside) Proclamation 2016 [NSW]". Parliament of New South Wales. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
26. Franks, Rebecca (9 September 2016). "Botany Bay Council and Rockdale are merged together, Local Government Minister announces". Southern Courier. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
27. Franks, Rebecca (13 September 2016). "A "fresh start" for Botany Bay as Bayside Council takes centre stage". Southern Courier. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
28. Franks, Rebecca (15 September 2017). "Bayside Council election results finalised following pre-poll and preferences count". Southern Courier. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
29. Beichert, Kahlia (27 September 2017). "Bill Saravinovski is Bayside Council mayor". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
30. Saulwick, Jacob (30 January 2017). "Botany council merger exposes a vehicle fleet held together with gaffer tape". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
31. Robertson, James (26 July 2017). "$5 million in bogus invoices: ICAC finds former Botany Bay CFO, 11 others, acted corruptly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
32. Gainsford, Jim (15 March 2018). "Bayside cannot correct "past failings" of former Botany Bay Council, report says". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
33. Gainsford, Jim (27 February 2018). "Bayside Council takes delivery of $3million in new work vehicles to replace "worst and oldest council fleet"". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
34. Visentin, Lisa (12 March 2018). "Bayside Council still reeling from corruption in former council". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
35. Beichert, Kahlia (22 September 2016). "Bayside Administrator Greg Wright hits the ground running". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
36. "Central Darling Shire administrator reassures council staff". ABC News. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
37. Boisvert, Eugene (3 April 2013). "New city manager sacked from previous job". ABC News. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
38. "Joe Awada named new mayor of Bayside Council". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
39. "Bill Returns as Bayside Mayor" (Media Release). Bayside Council. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
40. "Christina Curry elected as Bayside Council mayor". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
41. "Councillor Bill Saravinovski elected as Bayside Mayor". Bayside Council. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
42. Trembath, Murray (21 September 2023). "Bill Saravinovski elected Bayside mayor with Joe Awada as deputy". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
43. "James Macdonald re-elected Deputy Mayor" (Media Release). Bayside Council. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
44. Beichert, Kahlia (22 June 2017). "Bayside Council general manager on her road from library assistant to leader". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
45. "Bayside - Ward 1". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
46. "Bayside - Ward 2". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
47. "Bayside - Ward 3". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
48. "Bayside - Ward 4". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
49. "Bayside - Ward 5". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
50. "Renaming our wards". Have Your Say Bayside Council. Bayside Council. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
51. "8.17 Renaming of Bayside Wards - Post Public Exhibition" (PDF). Minutes of Council Meeting. Bayside Council. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
52. "Bayside". ABC News.
53. "PRE POLL IS NOW OPEN". Facebook. Councillor Paul Sedrak. 22 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
54. "Bayside council election, 2021". The Tally Room. 5 May 2021.
55. Beichert, Kahlia (10 August 2017). "Bayside Council unveils new logo". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
56. "Council announces new logo winner" (Media Release). Bayside Council. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.

Notes

1. Compared to the Independent Liberal result in 2021.
2. Compared with the Liberal Party result at the 2017 election.^[52][54]

External links

• Bayside Council