Strathfield Municipal Council is a Local Government Area of
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
, Australia. The Council was formed in 1885 and originally included the suburbs of Redmire, Homebush and Druitt Town. The name Strathfield was adopted by the new Council in 1885 when the suburb of Redmire was renamed Strathfield at this time. Druitt Town was renamed Strathfield South in the early 1890s. Only Homebush survives as an original location name.
A disastrous attempt in the 1790s by the first settlers to farm the land, resulted in the land being abandoned. However, by the 1870s, the district commenced development primarily as a residential area. The central location, halfway between Sydney and Parramatta, the establishment of rail services (from 1855 at Homebush) and availability of land, initially at low costs, attracted many wealthy merchants to build country style mansions within reasonable access to their City based businesses. Strathfield was also promoted as a healthy environment, away from owercrowded City conditions and diseases. Early land advertisements speak of the inland location as away from the 'injurious sea conditions'. With the relocation to Strathfield of many prominent families including the heirs of retailer David Jones, chemist Washington H Soul and many others, Strathfield became an elite and wealthy area. Its development differed markedly from the more working class areas of surrounding districts like Canterbury, Auburn and Concord.
The Strathfield Municipality has expanded over time and now includes the suburbs of Strathfield, Homebush, Homebush West, Flemington, Greenacre, Enfield, Strathfield South, Chullora (part) and Belfield (part). Over the years it has become a major multicultural centre, having many different nationalities in its 14.1 km² boundaries, of which the 3 largest non-Australian born groups are
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
n,
ChineseChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, and
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
n. Strathfield Municipal Council has a population of about 32,000 people and is one of Sydney's medium sized Councils.
Strathfield Municipal Council has traditionally opposed forced amalgamations with other local government areas, though the current Council itself has been expanded in size and population by incorporating the abolished Homebush Council in 1947 and the West Ward of the former Enfield Council in 1949.
Strathfield Council was rocked in 2004-05 by allegations of corruption involving rezoning of land use. The two councillors involved resigned following the inquiry by the
Independent Commission Against CorruptionSeveral places have organisations called the Independent Commission Against Corruption:*Independent Commission Against Corruption , established 1974*Independent Commission Against Corruption , established 1988...
(ICAC).
Suburbs in the local government area
Suburbs in the municipality are:
- Belfield
Belfield is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Belfield is located 14 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury and partly in the Municipality of Strathfield.-Location:Belfield has...
(shared with City of CanterburyThe City of Canterbury, previously the Municipality of Canterbury, is a Local Government Area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies southwest of the central business district and forms part of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area....
)
- Flemington
Flemington is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Flemington is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.-Commercial area:...
- Greenacre
Greenacre is a suburb, in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Greenacre is located 17 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Bankstown and the Municipality of Strathfield.-History:This area was once...
(shared with City of BankstownThe City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of a number of suburbs including Bass Hill, Greenacre, Georges Hall and Milperra, among others...
)
- Homebush
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
- Homebush West
Homebush West is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush West is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
- Strathfield
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
(shared with City of Canada BayThe City of Canada Bay is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia and located in the metropolitan area of Sydney. The city was formed in December of 2000, following the merger of Concord and Drummoyne councils...
and Municipality of BurwoodThe Municipality of Burwood is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs serviced by Burwood Council are:* Burwood* Burwood Heights* Enfield...
)
- Strathfield South
Strathfield South is a suburb, in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield South is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield....
History
Strathfield Municipal Council was proclaimed on June 2, 1885 by the Governor of NSW, Sir Augustus Loftus, after residents of the Redmire area petitioned the New South Wales State government 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.
The 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. The Strathfield Town was built in 1923. The council annexed the Flemington district in 1892 and in doing so substantially increased the number of residents living in the Municipality as development density was higher in the more working class Flemington than in Strathfield.
Several attempts at amalgamating the council have been made: the first happened with The Greater Sydney Movement, where many influential people such as Sidney Webb and John Daniel Fitzgerald believed that most of Sydney should be merged into a single Sydney area. This was extremely unpopular with both residents and many councils, including Strathfield council, and though bills were raised in State parliament in 1912, 1927 and 1931 they failed to gather any real support and the attempt to force amalgamation failed. In 1947 Homebush and Strathfield councils merged and part of
EnfieldEnfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
was added in 1949. In 1974 two reports, one by J.C. Barnett and the other from the State Boundaries Commission, recommended that
AshfieldAshfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is located approximately 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.Ashfield's...
,
DrummoyneDrummoyne is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
,
BurwoodBurwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
and
ConcordConcord is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
should amalgamate with Strathfield. This was energetically opposed by residents and council alderman and this amalgamation also did not come to fruition. In 1992, a section of the northern part of the Municipality was transferred to the
Auburn CouncilAuburn Council is a Local Government Area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, about 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district...
area. 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.
On August 17, 1991, seven people were killed, when Wade Frankum stabbed a fifteen year-old girl to death, before running amok with a
rifleA rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
in the Strathfield Plaza shopping mall, and then turning the weapon on himself. This is commonly known as the
Strathfield MassacreThe Strathfield massacre was a shooting rampage in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, August 17, 1991. The shooter was Wade Frankum, who killed himself at the end of the massacre. Altogether, the shooting left eight dead, including the gunman, and six more wounded.-Perpetrator:Wade Frankum was born in...
and it shocked the nation. A Memorial plaque is located at Churchill Avenue, Strathfield.
In 2004 the then Mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield,
Alfred TsangAlfred Tsang was the former mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.- Early career :Tsang was formerly a staff at IBM, and also ran his own chain of restaurants known as "I love sushi". After Tsang became leader of the Unity Party, he was elected to...
, stepped down after he was caught on film accepting money from a property developer. This resulted in an inquiry by the
ICACSeveral places have organisations called the Independent Commission Against Corruption:*Independent Commission Against Corruption , established 1974*Independent Commission Against Corruption , established 1988...
.
Culture
Strathfield has a wide mix of people groups, with about 48% of the population born overseas. As a result there are many services for newly arrived immigrants, and many overseas students live in the area. Some of the organisations that are located in the Municipality of Strathfield are the Russian Ethnic Community Council of NSW Inc, which provides access to information and referral to mainstream services to recent immigrants of
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and
Russian speakingRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
background and disseminates information to remote and offshore areas on a number of issues and the Sydney Tamil Resource Centre Inc, which provides resources to
TamilTamil people , are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. They speak Tamil , with a recorded history going back two millennia. Emigrant communities are found across the world...
immigrants.
In the 90s Strathfield saw a large influx of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
n immigrants, mainly due to its proximity to
CampsieCampsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
— which also had experienced an influx of Koreans into the area and a boom in numbers of International Students — but also because of Strathfield Korean Uniting Church on Homebush Road. There are now numerous Korean restaurants and shops in the area. It is the biggest Korea Town in the Southern hemisphere.
There are various community organisations in the Municipality. Strathfield has a local Rotary club, which provides community support and assistance via various projects in the area and a Musical Society, which normally produces two shows a year in the
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
n 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 & Blind Children in
North RocksNorth Rocks is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Rocks is located 26 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of The Hills Shire, in the Hills District.-History:...
.
The Municipality has two libraries; the Central Library in Homebush and a Branch library in Strathfield South. The central library, located in Homebush, was demolished in 2002 and a new library was built and opened in 2004.
A key element of Strathfield is its role as a location for many educational institutions including the Mount St Mary's Campus of
Australian Catholic UniversityAustralian Catholic University, or ACU National, is Australia's only public Catholic university. It has more than 13,000 students and 900 staff on six campuses located in three states and the Australian Capital Territory...
, Strathfield Girls High, Homebush Boys High,
St Patrick's CollegeSaint Patrick's College or Saint Patrick College may refer to:In Australia:* St Patrick's College, Ballarat, Victoria* Saint Patrick's College, Campbelltown, NSW* St Patrick's College, Mackay, Queensland...
,
Santa SabinaThe Basilica of Saint Sabina at the Aventine is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. Santa Sabina lies high on the Aventine Hill, riverside, close to the headquarters of the Knights of Malta....
,
Sydney Adventist CollegeSydney Adventist College is an independent, co-educational, Seventh-day Adventist, day school, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
,
MeridenMeriden, An Anglican School for Girls is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Trinity Grammar Preparatory School and Strathfield South High School. These schools and colleges have produced many significant contributors to Australia's sporting, political and social life. From St. Patricks's College, for example have come former State Opposition Leader
John BrogdenJohn Gilbert Brogden is an Australian businessman and former politician, who was Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales from 2002 to 2005...
, author and historian Tom Keneally and duel international
John BallestyJohn Patrick Ballesty in Strathfield, New South Wales is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who also played first-grade rugby league with the Eastern Suburbs club.-Rugby union:...
, or from Homebush Boys High,
John SymondJohn Symond is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder of lending giant Aussie Home Loans, which has made him one of the richest men in Australia with his fortune being estimated to be $365 million in 2004...
, founding and managing director of the Aussie Group,
Rodney BlakeRodney Blake is an Australian rugby union footballer. He plays for the Bayonne in the Top 14 competition. He is sometimes referred to as Rodzilla. His father Paul was a flanker with the New Zealand side Otago in the National Provincial Championship...
, prop for the
Queensland RedsThe Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and as of 2006, apart of the Wallabies team,
Gordon BrayGordon Bray AM has risen to prominence as one of Australia's leading sports commentators, earning himself the title, "The Voice of Rugby"....
, prominent Australian sports commentator, known as the 'Voice of Rugby' and
Bob DebusRobert John "Bob" Debus is an Australian Labor politician. Before his retirement from the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 2007 state election, he held the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Minister for the Arts...
, Minister for the Environment and Minister for the Arts. Former Test cricketers
Alan DavidsonAlan Davidson is the name of:*Alan Davidson , also British diplomat*Alan Davidson , Australian cricketer*Alan Davidson , British author...
and
Bob SimpsonRobert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
also reside in Strathfield.
Whilst not perhaps basking in quite the same popular musical glory as neighbouring
BurwoodBurwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
with its links to the formation of the Easybeats and
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
, Strathfield has made its own unique contribution to
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
. Strathfield was home during part of the 1960s to The BeeGees (Redmyre Road) and several Australian
indie rockIndie rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1980s. The term is often used to describe the means of production and distribution of independent underground music, as well as the style of music that was first associated with this means of...
and
indie popIndie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s such as Orange Juice and Josef K and the dominant UK independent band of the mid eighties, The Smiths...
bands have emerged from Strathfield including Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers,
Lunatic FringeLunatic fringe is a pejorative term used to characterize members of a usually political or social movement espousing extreme, eccentric, or fanatical views...
, The Upbeat, Women of Troy member Paul O'Reilly, and
The Mexican SpitfiresThe Mexican Spitfires were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock–indie pop band formed in suburban Strathfield in the Strathfield Municipality in the mid 1980s...
.
Grant McLennanGrant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
of
The Go-BetweensThe Go-Betweens were an internationally influential indie rock band from Australia, formed by guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan in Brisbane in 1977.-Biography:...
also lived in Carrington Ave, Strathfield for a number of years in the 1990s.
Although no members of the band were Stathfield residents the address in Woodward Ave, Strathfield of one of
Radio BirdmanRadio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia to wave the punk rock flag along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
's earliest fan club members inspired the lyrics of their mid-1970s pop song "Murder City Nights":
- Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action
- Looking for a lover with a power reaction.
The Mexican SpitfiresThe Mexican Spitfires were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock–indie pop band formed in suburban Strathfield in the Strathfield Municipality in the mid 1980s...
also immortalised Strathfield in their song
RookwoodRookwood could refer to:*Augustus Rookwood, a minor character in Harry Potter*Rookwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.*Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney, Australia*Rookwood Pottery, a pottery manufacturer based in Cincinnati, Ohio...
about
Rookwood CemeteryRookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
which must be one of very few
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
songs about a cemetery. Written by Stephen McCowage the song featured the chorus:
- And the gates close at sunset
- And they open on judgement day
- When the Lord comes down from heaven
- To take us from this Redmyre clay.
Strathfield has also been home to a number of famous sporting identities including cricketers Bobby Simpson and
Alan DavidsonAlan Davidson is the name of:*Alan Davidson , also British diplomat*Alan Davidson , Australian cricketer*Alan Davidson , British author...
and three Prime Ministers,
Frank FordeFrancis Michael Forde was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for a mere 8 days....
,
Billy HughesWilliam Morris Hughes, CH, KC , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia, the longest serving member of the Australian Parliament, and one of the most colourful figures in Australian political history...
and
George ReidSir George Houstoun Reid, GCB, GCMG, KC was an Australian politician, Premier of New South Wales and fourth Prime Minister of Australia....
.
Politics
Australia has three tiers of government: the Federal government (responsible for national matters such as external trade and commerce, quarantine, currency, patents, marriage, immigration, defence, telecommunications, and the provision of welfare and other assistance payments), State government (responsible for provincial matters such as policing, public schools, roads and traffic, public hospitals, public housing, and business regulation) and Local government (responsible for town planning, building approvals, local roads, parking, public libraries, public toilets, water and sewerage, waste removal, domestic animals and community facilities). The Municipality of Strathfield is part of Australia's local government system.
Traditionally, the municipality has fought amalgamation of their area with other councils, though additional land has been added to the Municipality since 1885 such as annexure of parts of the Lidcombe Municipality in 1892, merged the western ward of the abolished Enfield Council in 1949 and voluntarily merged with the Municipality of Homebush in May 1947. However, they strenuously objected to a push to amalgamate the councils into one mega-council, known as The Greater Sydney Movement, that happened from the early part of the 1890s till the later half of the 1930s. In 1983 it was recommended by the NSW State Boundaries Commission that Strathfield be amalgamated into Burwood, however a great deal of uproar greeted this plan and after the then mayor, Clarrie Edwards, spoke in well attended public meetings the state government abandoned the plan due to a great deal of opposition from residents of the area. In 1999 another proposal was made to merge the Municipality of Burwood with the Municipality of Strathfield. However, the residents of Strathfield did not support this proposal and the merger never proceeded. A proposal was lodged by Auburn Council for a boundary change, which had the effect of a takeover of Strathfield Council. This was heavily objected to by residents of Strathfield.
The Inner West (which includes the Municipality of Strathfield) has long been an area where lots of development has been undertaken and competition amongst developers has been intense. According to
The Australian, they were known to strongly lobby the
Australian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
and the party "spent almost $100,000 fighting last year's election, with $84,500 of that donated by local developers, electoral funding records show." (Sexton, February 2, 2005). Alfred Tsang, of the
Unity PartyUnity Party is a small multiculturist party in Australia, formed in 1997 with the aim of opposing the rise of controversial anti-immigration politician Pauline Hanson. Initially billed as a party to unite Australians of all ethnicities against racism, in practice it has never managed to draw...
, was elected to Strathfield Council in March 2003. Tsang was seen as a threat by some developers as he overturned various rezoning that had been arranged by the previous Labor party. It is alleged by Tsang that Labor councillor
John Abi-SaabJohn Abi-Saab was born in Lebanon and arriving in Australia 21 years later, John Abi-Saab worked at various jobs for the next seven years...
and state member of parliament and Labor powerbroker
Eddie ObeidEdward Moses Obeid is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party, and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1991...
set him up for accepting a bribe.
On December 20, 2004, Tsang was forced to stepped down over allegations of corruption. Pictures had been published in
The AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia on Monday to Saturday each week since 1964. The editor is Chris Mitchell and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
of him accepting a $200,000 of $100 bills from a developer, Michael Saklaoui. It was not initially clear why the money was given to him though it was alleged that he was talking to Mr Saklawi about the redevelopment of an 800 m
2 council-owned carpark (Sexton, December 20, 2004), however it was later revealed to be payment for rezoning the council car park and three adjoining houses for the benefit of developer Michael Saklaoui (Sexton, February 2, 2005). According to
The Australian he was heard to have said that "Basically, we get it for nothing," Mr Tsang says. "I am making Strathfield a better place ... I am doing it for the area." (Sexton, February 2, 2005) Strathfield council soon afterwards released a press statement that it "will not and does not" tolerate misconduct. (
Sydney Morning Herald, December 20, 2004) The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is currently investigating whether claims developers were given inside information about land rezoning proposals put to Strathfield Council have any substance and the pictures taken by
The Australian were handed to them for further investigation.
According to Anne Davies, who reports for
The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. The newspaper's Sunday edition, The Sun-Herald, is published in tabloid format...
, "behind the Strathfield saga is a ferocious battle among developers for sites. These developers are not from the big end of town; they are locals - many are Lebanese - who regard the inner west as their development playground." (Davies,
SMH, pg. 4).
Michael KingMichael King, OBE was a New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer.-Life:Educated at Sacred Heart College in Auckland and St Patrick's College at Silverstream , King went on to study history at Victoria University of Wellington before working as a journalist at the Waikato Times...
, the counsel assisting ICAC, found that John Abi-Saab was involved in a plot to entrap Alfred Tsang and force him from office and recommended five findings against him, and King also recommended that Tsang should be found to have acted corruptly. On March 28, 2005 both Tsang and Abi-Saab tendered their resignations to Strathfield Council's general manager. (
The Sydney Morning Herald, March 1, 2005).
The ICAC report in 2005 recommended that Abi-Saab be charged with blackmail by threat to publish; for wilfully making false statements to mislead the ICAC; for giving false and misleading evidence at an ICAC hearing; and for procuring the giving of false testimony at an ICAC hearing. The ICAC concluded that Abi-Saab's blackmail attempt was carried out following two Mayoral Minutes Mr Tsang brought to Council in June and July 2004 which recommended removing proposed zoning changes and planned increases to floor space ratios in Strathfield South. The passing of the two Mayoral Minutes adversely affected the interests of a number of developers including Mr Saklaoui and Anne Bechara, both associates of Abi-Saab.
See also: List of Mayors of the Municipality of Strathfield
Council
Strathfield Municipal Council is composed of seven councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Councillors |
|---|
| |
Australian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
|
3 |
| |
Liberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
|
2 |
| |
Independents In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
2 |
|
Total |
7 |
The current council, elected in 2008, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
|---|
| |
Keith Kwon |
LaborThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
|
Deputy Mayor |
| |
Bill Carney |
LiberalThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
|
|
| |
Danny Lim |
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
|
| |
Hope Brett-Bowen |
LaborThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
|
|
| |
Tony Maroun |
LiberalThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
|
Mayor |
| |
Paul Barron |
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
|
| |
Sundar Eswaran |
LaborThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
|
|
Geography
The Municipality of Strathfield 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 kilometreSquare kilometre , symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units.1 km2 is equal to:* 1,000,000 m2...
s and includes the suburbs of
StrathfieldStrathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
, Strathfield South,
HomebushHomebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
, Homebush West, Greenacre,
FlemingtonFlemington is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Flemington is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.-Commercial area:...
, part of
EnfieldEnfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
and part of
BelfieldBelfield is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Belfield is located 14 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury and partly in the Municipality of Strathfield.-Location:Belfield has...
(in Australia, a Local Government Area, or LGA, incorporates many suburbs into its area). Homebush Bay Drive bounds the Municipality of Strathfield 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 CemeteryRookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and the
Sydney Olympic ParkSydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
Rail line bound the Municipality to the west.
For NSW state elections, the Municipality of Strathfield is divided between the
Electoral district of StrathfieldStrathfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was first created in 1988, and derives its name from the suburb of the same name. Strathfield is an urban electorate, covering 17.94 km² and taking in the suburbs of Strathfield,...
,
Electoral district of DrummoyneDrummoyne is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Angela D'Amore of the Australian Labor Party.-History:Drummoyne was created in 1913...
and
Electoral district of CanterburyCanterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Linda Burney of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
and for Federal elections it is in the electorate of
LoweThe Division of Lowe is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, on the south shore of the Parramatta River...
.
Demographics and statistics
See also: Demographics of the Municipality of StrathfieldThe following are a variety of statistics for the Local Government Area of Strathfield.-Summary:-Overseas born residents' birthplace:-Religion:-Crime:-Notes:...
.
The estimated resident population as of June 2003 was 30,220 (
Aust. Bureau of StatisticsThe Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It came into being, as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of...
). The Strathfield Local Government Area is a
culturally diverseMulticulturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations...
region. The 2001 Census recorded the population of the Municipality as 27,956 — an increase of 8.1% since the 1996 Census. Of the total area, the census showed that 46% of the people stated that they were Australian-born. The number of people born overseas was 13,521 (48% of the total population) compared with 11,386 (44% of the total population) in 1996 and 10,176 (40% of the total population) in 1991. Of those born overseas the three main countries of birth were the Republic of Korea (South) — 1750 people (6.3%);
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
(excluding SARs and Taiwan) — 1632 people (5.9%) and
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
— 1544 people (5.5%).
External links