Governance of Sydney

Historically, Sydney was governed by Cumberland County (1945-1964). Today there is no overall governing body for the Sydney metropolitan area. Local affairs for the metropolitan area are run by bodies known as local government areas (LGAs). These areas all have elected councils and are responsible for a range of functions delegated to them by the New South Wales State Government.

The City of Sydney includes the central business area and some adjoining inner suburbs, and has in recent years been expanded through amalgamation with adjoining local government areas, such as South Sydney. It is led by the elected Lord Mayor of Sydney and a council. The Lord Mayor, however, is sometimes treated as a representative of the whole city.

The 38 LGAs in Sydney are:

Ashfield
Auburn
Bankstown
Baulkham Hills
Blacktown
Botany Bay
Burwood Camden
Campbelltown
Canada Bay
Canterbury
Fairfield
Holroyd
Hornsby Hunter’s Hill
Hurstville
Kogarah
Ku-ring-gai
Lane Cove
Leichhardt
Liverpool Manly
Marrickville
Mosman
North Sydney
Parramatta
Penrith
Pittwater Randwick
Rockdale
Ryde
Strathfield
Sutherland
Sydney
Warringah Waverley
Willoughby
Woollahra

Most citywide government activities are controlled by the state government. These include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, and planning of major infrastructure projects. Because a large proportion of New South Wales’ population lives in Sydney, state governments have traditionally been reluctant to allow the development of citywide governmental bodies, which would tend to rival the state government.

For this reason, Sydney has always been a focus for the politics of both State and Federal Parliaments. For example, the boundaries of the City of Sydney LGA have been significantly altered by state governments on at least four occasions since 1945, with expected advantageous effect to the governing party in the New South Wales Parliament at the time.