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City of Ballarat

Coordinates: 37°33′00″S 143°51′00″E / 37.55000°S 143.85000°E / -37.55000; 143.85000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the current local government area. For the former local government area, see City of Ballaarat. For the urban centre, see Ballarat. For other uses, see Ballarat (disambiguation).

City of Ballarat
Victoria
Map of the City of Ballarat's municipal borders, urban areas and location in Victoria
Population107,325 (2018)[1]
 • Density145.23/km2 (376.14/sq mi)
Established6 May 1994
Gazetted6 May 1994[2]
Area739 km2 (285.3 sq mi)[1]
MayorCr Des Hudson
Council seatCentral
RegionGrampians
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Ballarat
WebsiteCity of Ballarat
LGAs around City of Ballarat:
Pyrenees Hepburn Hepburn
Pyrenees City of Ballarat Moorabool
Golden Plains Golden Plains Moorabool

The City of Ballarat is a local government area in the west of the state of Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of 739 square kilometres (285 sq mi) and, in June 2023, had a population of 118,137.[3] It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Ballarat urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Buninyong, Waubra, Learmonth and Addington. It was formed on 6 May 1994 from the amalgamation of the City of Ballarat, Shire of Ballarat, Borough of Sebastopol and parts of the Shire of Bungaree, Shire of Buninyong, Shire of Grenville and Shire of Ripon.[2]

The city is governed and administered by the Ballarat City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Ballarat, it also has a service centre located in Buninyong. The city is named after the main urban settlement lying in the centre-south of the LGA, Ballarat, which is also the LGA's most populous urban area with a population of 105,471.[4]

Council

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Current composition

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The council has nine elected Councillors, each representing a municipal electoral ward.[5] The current Council, elected in November 2024, is:[6]

Ward Party Councillor Notes
Alfredton   Independent Damon Saunders
Brown Hill   Independent Ted Lapkin
Buninyong   Liberal Ben Taylor Deputy Mayor
Central   Liberal Samantha McIntosh
Delacombe   Independent Tracey Hargreaves Mayor
Golden Point   Independent Tess Morgan
North   Independent Jim Rinaldi
South   Labor Des Hudson
Wendouree   Independent Jay Morrison

Administration and governance

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The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Ballarat Town Hall Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Ballarat, and its service centre in Buninyong.

The council's main offices are in a modern extension behind the Town Hall called The Phoenix. In 2009 the council voted to move to a new headquarters at Civic Hall on Mair Street,[7] which would turn the heritage listed Town Hall building into a public general purpose venue.

2023 Council Review

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Prior to the 2024 Election, The Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a review into the electoral structure of multiple Victorian Councils including the City of Ballarat.[8] As part of this review it was deemed that from the 2024 Election, the council would take up nine single-councillor wards, namely:

  • Alfredton Ward
  • Brown Hill Ward
  • Buninyong Ward
  • Central Ward
  • Delacombe Ward
  • Golden Point Ward
  • North Ward
  • Sebastopol Ward
  • Wendouree Ward

Election results

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2024

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 Victorian local elections in Grampians § Ballarat results.[edit]
2024 Victorian local elections: Ballarat[9][10]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Independents 35,499 51.50 +21.93 4 Increase 1
  Independent Liberal 15,177 22.02 −3.37 2 Decrease 1
  Independent Labor 9,955 14.44 −10.67 3 Increase 1
  Greens 8,294 12.03 −4.91 0 Decrease 1
 Formal votes 68,925 97.10 −0.87
 Informal votes 2,057 2.90 +0.87
 Total 70,982 100.00 9 Steady
 Registered voters / turnout 86,108 82.43 −0.18

2020

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2020 Victorian local elections in Grampians § Ballarat.[edit]
2020 Victorian local elections: Ballarat[11]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Independent 20,266 29.57 −17.82 3 Increase 1
  Independent Liberal 17,403 25.39 −1.92 3 Decrease 1
  Labor 17,213 25.11 +11.62 2 Steady
  Greens 11,614 16.94 +4.13 1 Steady
  Australia First 1,391 2.03 +2.03 0 Steady
  Animal Justice 659 0.96 +0.96 0 Steady
 Formal votes 68,546 97.97
 Informal votes 1,420 2.03
 Total 69,966 100.0
 Registered voters / turnout 84,694 82.61

2016

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2016 Victorian local elections § Ballarat.[edit]
2016 Victorian local elections: Ballarat[12]
Party Votes % Seats Change
  Independent 27,257 46.39 2 Increase 1
  Independent Liberal 16,043 27.31 4 Increase 1
  Labor 7,925 13.49 2 Steady
  Greens 7,527 12.81 1 Steady
 Formal votes 58,752 100.0

2012

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2012 Victorian local elections: Ballarat
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Independents 20,676 37.70 2
  Independent Liberal 19,849 36.19 5
  Independent Labor 9,829 17.92 1
  Greens 4,489 8.19 1
 Formal votes 54,843 97.30
 Informal votes 1,524 2.70
 Total 56,367 100
 Registered voters / turnout 72,725 77.51

Central Ward

2012 Victorian local elections: Central Ward[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Liberal Samantha McIntosh 4,355 26.10
Greens Belinda Coates 3,197 19.16
Independent Liberal John Burt 3,006 18.02
Independent Mark Harris 2,379 14.16
Independent Glen Crompton 1,337 8.01
Independent Jenny Overington 1,051 6.30
Independent Matthew Freeman 836 5.01
Independent Gary Fitzgerald 523 3.13
Turnout 17,163 75.22

North

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2012 Victorian local elections: North Ward[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Liberal Vicki Coltman 4,963 28.38
Independent John Philips 4,046 21.02
Independent Liberal Amy Johnson 3,908 20.30
Labor Daniel Moloney 2,901 15.07
Labor Scott Hebbard 1,894 9.84
Independent Allan Carter 1,535 7.98
Turnout 19,735 79.57

South

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2012 Victorian local elections: South Ward[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Des Hudson 5,034 26.62
Independent Liberal Joshua Morris 3,617 19.13
Independent Peter Innes 3,075 16.26
Independent Jim Rinaldi 2,930 15.49
Independent Stephen Pelchen 1,726 9.13
Greens David Eldridge 1,292 6.83
Independent Sundram Sivamalai 849 4.49
Independent Matt Mattson 889 4.80
Turnout 19,469 77.55

Townships and localities

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The 2021 census, the city had a population of 113,763 up from 101,686 in the 2016 census[14]

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Addington 71 65
Alfredton 9,220 11,822
Ascot 96 93
Bakery Hill 164 180
Bald Hills^ 107 114
Ballarat Central 5,328 5,378
Ballarat East 5,623 5,937
Ballarat North 3,925 4,041
Black Hill 2,126 2,124
Blowhard 84 82
Bo Peep^ 21 25
Bonshaw 210 949
Brown Hill 3,582 4,489
Buninyong^ 3,714 3,797
Bunkers Hill 261 270
Burrumbeet^ 232 249
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Canadian 3,609 4,098
Cardigan 754 1,064
Cardigan Village 667 957
Chapel Flat 0 0
Coghills Creek 71 80
Creswick^ 3,170 3,279
Delacombe 6,297 5,408
Durham Lead^ 392 408
Ercildoune^ 70 90
Eureka 626 633
Glen Park^ 103 110
Glendaruel 52 49
Glendonald 11 12
Golden Point 2,107 2,217
Gong Gong 9 6
Invermay 835 900
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Invermay Park 1,814 1,692
Lake Gardens 1,695 1,801
Lake Wendouree 2,882 2,878
Learmonth 438 396
Lucas 1,014 2,994
Magpie 371 368
Miners Rest 3,095 3,829
Mitchell Park 868 887
Mount Bolton 29 29
Mount Clear 3,390 3,671
Mount Helen 2,975 3,011
Mount Pleasant 2,203 2,225
Mount Rowan 294 295
Nerrina 962 970
Newington 1,900 1,844
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Redan 2,889 3,000
Scotchmans Lead 97 105
Scotsburn^ 258 244
Sebastopol 10,032 10,194
Smythes Creek^ 1,467 1,762
Soldiers Hill 2,803 2,813
Sulky^ 232 234
Tourello 39 46
Warrenheip^ 669 721
Wattle Flat^ 97 104
Waubra^ 275 308
Weatherboard 51 52
Wendouree 10,445 10,376
Windermere 97 96
Winter Valley * 3,440

^ – Territory divided with another LGA
* – Not noted in 2016 Census

Sister cities

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The City of Ballarat's sister cities are:[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Order Constituting the City of Ballarat..." Victoria Government Gazette (S23). State Government of Victoria: 1. 6 May 1994. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Regional population, 2022-23 financial year | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  4. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  5. ^ City of Ballarat. "Ballarat City Council". City of Ballarat. City of Ballarat. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  6. ^ VEC. "Ballarat City Council election results 2024". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  7. ^ Quinlan, Kim (18 May 2010). "Ballarat City Council to commit $850k for Civic Hall site design". The Courier Regional Media. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Ballarat City Council electoral structure review Final Report" (PDF). Victorian Electoral Commission. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Ballarat". Victorian Greens. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  10. ^ Victorian Electoral Commission. "Ballarat City Council results". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Ballarat City Council election results 2020". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  12. ^ "Ballarat City Council election results 2016". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  13. ^ a b c "Ballarat City Council election results 2012". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  14. ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 11 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Sister cities build more than a cultural bond". The Courier. 17 October 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
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37°33′00″S 143°51′00″E / 37.55000°S 143.85000°E / -37.55000; 143.85000

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