Municipality of Strathfield

Municipality of Strathfield New South Wales
Location in Metropolitan Sydney
Population	40,312 (2016 census)[1] 45,143 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	2,859/km2 (7,405/sq mi)
Established	2 June 1885 (1885-06-02)
Area	14.1 km2 (5.4 sq mi)
Mayor	Antoine Doueihi (Liberal)
Council seat	Strathfield
Region	Metropolitan Sydney
State electorate(s)	Strathfield Lakemba Auburn
Federal Division(s)	Reid Watson
Website	Municipality of Strathfield
LGAs around Municipality of Strathfield: Parramatta Canada Bay Canada Bay Cumberland Municipality of Strathfield Burwood Canterbury-Bankstown Canterbury-Bankstown Burwood

The Municipality of Strathfield, also known as Strathfield Council, is a local government area located west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

Strathfield Council was incorporated on 2 June 1885. The Council area was made up of parts of three existing localities: Redmire (in the northeast), Homebush (in the northwest) and Druitt Town (in the south).^[3] The name "Strathfield" was adopted as the name of the new council upon incorporation. In 1886, the suburb of Redmire was renamed Strathfield, as was the railway station. The Council incorporated the suburb of Flemington in 1892, after which the entire council area was usually referred to as the suburb of "Strathfield". In the 20th century, the Council further expanded southward by taking in the western part of former Enfield Council (which became Strathfield South), and northward by taking in the Municipality of Homebush (north of the railway line).

Strathfield Council today comprises an area of 14.1 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had an estimated 40,312 residents.^[1] The Council area is made up of residential neighbourhoods and town centres, with significant local heritage, open space, lifestyle amenities, public and private schools and access to tertiary institutions such as a campus of Australian Catholic University and the University of Sydney and TAFE Sydney Institute.

The Mayor of Strathfield Municipal Council is Cr. Antoine Doueihi, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. The Deputy Mayor is Cr. Karen Pensebene ^[4]

Suburbs and localities in the local government area[]

The Strathfield local government area comprises:

Demographics[]

Overseas-born birthplaces based on 2001 Australian Census data for the Strathfield local government area.

At the 2016 census there were 40,312 people in the Strathfield local government area, of these 50.7 per cent were male and 49.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.3 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 the Strathfield local government area was 32 years; significantly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.7 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.7 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 48.1 per cent were married and 11.7 per cent were either divorced or separated.^[1] Strathfield has become an important multicultural centre (for Korean, Chinese and Sri Lankan minority populations).

Population growth in the Strathfield local government area between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 15.14 per cent; while in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 10.02 per cent. At the 2016 census, the population in the Municipality increased by 14.56 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in Strathfield local government area was significantly higher than the national average.^[1][5][6][7] The median weekly income for residents within the Municipality of Strathfield was on par with the national average.

Historical census data for Strathfield local government area
Census year			2001[5]	2006[6]	2011[7]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	27,777	31,983	35,188	40,312
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			55th	53rd
		% of New South Wales population			0.51%	0.54%
		% of Australian population	0.15%	0.16%	0.16%	0.17%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Chinese (excludes SARs and Taiwan)			9.3%	17.8%
		Indian			8.0%	11.1%
		South Korean			7.5%	7.9%
		English				7.7%
		Australian			39.8%	7.5%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	4.2%	6.4%	8.0%	10.0%
		Korean	7.0%	8.4%	8.9%	8.8%
		Cantonese	8.7%	8.4%	8.0%	7.0%
		Tamil	6.4%	5.8%	5.3%	5.6%
		Arabic	5.8%	5.8%	5.7%	5.0%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	34.0%	30.7%	27.5%	23.0%
		No religion, so described	10.2%	12.3%	15.0%	21.6%
		Hinduism	9.0%	10.3%	13.2%	16.4%
		Buddhism	n/c	6.4%	6.8%	5.7%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	9.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$458	A$558	Data to be released in October 2017
		% of Australian median income		98.3%	96.7%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$458	A$1,595
		% of Australian median income		106.4%	107.7%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,256	A$1,421
		% of Australian median income		107.3%	115.2%

Current composition and election method[]

Strathfield Municipal Council is composed of seven councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected bi-annually by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 9 September 2017, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[8]

The current Council, elected in 2017, in order of election, is:

History[]

Strathfield Saye Plaque

Strathfield Council was proclaimed on 2 June 1885 by the NSW Governor, Sir Augustus Loftus. The initial boundaries included Redmire (later renamed Strathfield), the village of Homebush (the southern part of the present suburb of Homebush and the north-western part of the present-day suburb of Strathfield) and the northern part of Druitt Town (the southern part of today's suburb of Strathfield). The Council was incorporated following petitions by residents of the Redmire area to form local government. This move was opposed by residents of Homebush and Druitt Town, possibly fearing the dominance of the more affluent and politically connected residents of Redmire. Despite counter petitions, the Municipality was incorporated in 1885.^[9]

Strathfield Council built the current Council Chambers in 1887. Between 1885 and 1887 the Council operated from various private homes in Strathfield, pending the building of a permanent Council Chambers.^{[citation needed]}

The Strathfield Council area has expanded in geography and population over time. In 1892, an area in the west of the present-day municipality was added, including Flemington village (present-day Homebush West) in the north as well as the part of the present-day municipality that lies south of Cook's River and north of Liverpool Road, in the south, which are now the southwestern part of the suburb of Strathfield, the northeastern part of the Greenacre and a small part of the suburb of Chullora. The entire Council area came to be referred to as "Strathfield" after this expansion, and the southern and western boundaries of the present-day suburb of Strathfield largely reflects the council boundaries in 1892. With the 1892 addition, Strathfield Municipality was divided into three wards: Flemington ward in the west (covering the area incorporated in 1892, from Flemington station in the north to Liverpool Road in the south), Homebush ward in the centre (covering the original council area west of Homebush Road, from Homebush station in the north to Liverpool Road in the south), and Strathfield ward in the east (covering the remainder of the original council area, east of Homebush Road). The wards were abolished in 1916.

In 1947, the Municipality of Homebush was amalgamated with Strathfield. This local government area covered the part of present-day Homebush West (including Flemington markets) and Homebush that lies north of the railway. The former village centres of Flemington and Homebush south of the railway were carved out of the then-suburb of Strathfield and combined with the newly incorporated area to create the present-day suburbs of Flemington (now Homebush West) and Homebush. In 1949, the west ward of the Municipality of Enfield was added to Strathfield, with the eastern part going to the Municipality of Burwood. This added the present-day suburbs of Strathfield South, eastern part of Greenacre, and northern part of Belfield. At the time of this expansion, the council was divided into two wards: first ward (Strathfield and Homebush) and second ward (Enfield). These wards were abolished in 1953.

In 1992, a section of the northern part of the Municipality, between the A3 road and Boundary Creek, was transferred to Auburn Council to become part of the site of Sydney Olympic Park. In return, the area of and between Boundary Creek and the railway line, occupied by the former Ford factory building, was transferred from Auburn to Strathfield Council.

The municipality now includes the suburbs of Strathfield, Homebush, Homebush West, Flemington, Greenacre (part), Strathfield South, Chullora (part) and Belfield (part).

Recent council amalgamation proposals[]

Throughout its history, there have been movements to amalgamate local councils in the Sydney area: the first major 'threat' was with the 'royal commission for a greater Sydney (1913)', known as 'The Greater Sydney Movement'. The Royal Commission brought together Sidney Webb,^{[citation needed]} a British politician and John Fitzgerald,^[10] an Australian politician, who, amongst others, believed that Sydney should be merged into a single local government area. In 1947 Homebush and Strathfield councils merged and part of Enfield was added in 1949.^{[citation needed]}

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Strathfield Municipal Council merge with adjoining councils. The government proposed a merger of the Burwood, Canada Bay, and Strathfield Councils to form a new council with an area of 41 square kilometres (16 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 163,000.^[11] On 6 May Strathfield Council commenced legal action in the NSW Land and Environment Court against the proposed amalgamation.^[12] After the Court heard that there were legal flaws in the report from the NSW Government appointed delegate who examined the proposal for merging the councils, the NSW Government withdrew from the case and the merger proposal stalled.^[13] In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay local government areas, along with several other proposed forced mergers.^[14]

Heritage listings[]

The Municipality of Strathfield has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Homebush, Great Southern and Western railway: Homebush railway station^[15]
• South Strathfield, St Anne's Square: St Anne's Roman Catholic Church, South Strathfield^[16]
• Strathfield, Great Southern and Western railway: Strathfield rail underbridges^[17]
• Strathfield, Great Southern and Western railway: Strathfield railway station^[18]

Council facilities[]

Libraries[]

The Council operates a main library located on Rochester Street in Homebush. The library was demolished in 2002 and a new library was built and opened in 2004.

The Council formerly operated a branch library on High Street in Strathfield South, which was rebuilt and opened in 2008. However, the branch library was closed in 2019 and converted into a community centre, with some book lockers to continue some library services from this location.^[19]

Historically, the municipality's main library was located on Parramatta Road in Homebush, inherited from the former Homebush Municipality (which governed the northern part of the modern suburb of Homebush) after it merged into Strathfield in 1947. The Parramatta Road library served as the municipality's main library until 1967, when the High Street library became the main library, and the Parramatta Road library was closed in 1976 after the Rochester Street library was opened.

Dutton Centre[]

The former South Strathfield Bowling Club was bought by Strathfield Council and renovated with a grant of $495,00 from the Department of Aging, Disability and Home Care. The building was opened on 3 December 2012 and named in honour of Eve Dutton who was the first female Mayor of Strathfield.^[20] It houses Strathfield/Homebush Meals on Wheels and Inner West Community Transport.^[21]

Culture[]

The population of Strathfield is made up of a number of ethnic groups, and about 48% of the population born overseas. As a result, there are a number of services for newly arrived immigrants and overseas students who live in the area. Two such organisations are the Russian Ethnic Community Council of NSW Inc (RECNSW), and the Sydney Tamil Resource Centre Inc (STRC). RECNSW provides access to information and referral to mainstream services to recent immigrants of Russian and Russian speaking background and disseminates information to remote and offshore areas on a number of issues.^{[clarification needed][22]} STRC provides resources to Tamil immigrants. A number of the commercial centres in the Municipality of Strathfield feature concentrations of restaurants and shops with ethnically distinct character, such as the concentration of Korean restaurants and shops in the Strathfield town centre, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants and shops in the Homebush West (Flemington) village centre, and Chinese, Korean and Indian restaurants in the Homebush village centre.

Strathfield also has a number of community centres, including a Rotary club, Latvian theatre, Lantern Club, and libraries. The local Rotary club provides support to the community and has a number of projects in the area,^[23] as well as a Musical Society (part of Rotary?), which normally produces two shows a year in the Latvian Theatre in Strathfield. Their main social activity is rehearsing twice weekly and they present seven performances of their musical production over two weekends. Strathfield Lantern Club Voluntary is located in Strathfield and provides fundraising organisation for raising funds specifically for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in North Rocks.

The lyrics of the song by Radio Birdman, Murder City Nights refers to Woodward Road, Strathfield:^[24]

Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action

Looking for a lover with a power reaction.

Geography[]

The Strathfield Council area is located at 33°52'10" North, 151°5'59" West (33.8717, 151.0899). It covers a total area of approximately 14.1 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) and includes the suburbs of Strathfield, Strathfield South, Homebush, Homebush West, Flemington and parts of Belfield, Chullora and Greenacre.^[25] Homebush Bay Drive bounds Strathfield Council to the north, Powells Creek, The Boulevarde and Coronation Parade bounds it to the east, Punchbowl Road and Juno Parade form the southern border and Roberts Road, Chullora rail yards, Rookwood Cemetery and the Sydney Olympic Park Rail line bound the Municipality to the west.

For NSW state elections, the Municipality of Strathfield is divided between the Strathfield, Lakemba and Auburn electorates and for Federal elections it is in the electorates of Reid and Watson.

See also[]

• Local government areas of New South Wales

References[]

Further reading[]

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003). The people of New South Wales. Statistics from the 2001 Census. Joint publication of the NSW State Government (Community Relations Commission) & the Australian Federal Government (Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs).
• Jones, Cathy (2004). Strathfield – origin of the name. Strathfield District Historical Society. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2004.
• Jones, Michael (1985). Oasis in the West: Strathfield's first hundred years. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia. ISBN 0-86861-407-6.
• "State Electoral District of Strathfield". New South Wales State Electoral Office. Retrieved 17 October 2004.
• "NSW Recorded Crime Statistics – Strathfield LGA" (PDF). Bureau of Crime and Statistics.
• Ward, Alex (22 July 2010). "Strathfield councillor Danny Lim resigns". Inner West Courier. Retrieved 20 September 2012.

External links[]

• Strathfield Municipal Council official website
• Strathfield Heritage