The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, which constitutes the inner city area of Melbourne. In 2021, the city had an area of and a population of 149,615. The city's motto is "vires acquirit eundo" which means "we gather strength as we go".
The current Lord Mayor is Nicholas Reece, who replaced Sally Capp on 2 July 2024. The Melbourne City Council (MCC) is the city’s local governing authority and is based out of Melbourne Town Hall.
History
19th century Melbourne was founded in 1835, during the reign of King William IV, following the arrival of the schooner Enterprize near the present site of the Queen's Wharf. Unlike other Australian capital cities, Melbourne did not originate under official auspices, instead owing its origins to non-indigenous settlers from Tasmania.
Having been a province of New South Wales from its establishment in 1835, affairs of the settlement had been administered by the Parliament of New South Wales. With the growth of the settlement there had been an increasing demand by the inhabitants for greater autonomy over their own affairs. On 12 August 1842, Melbourne was incorporated as a town by Act 6 Victoria No. 7 of the Governor and Legislative Council of New South Wales. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
The town of Melbourne was raised to the status of a city by Letters Patent of Queen Victoria dated 25 June 1847, five years after its incorporation as a town. The Letters Patent also constituted the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and declared Melbourne a cathedral city. A motion was tabled at a meeting of the Town Council to alter the style and title of Melbourne from a town to a city, a draft Bill was approved and transmitted to the Government for introduction to the Legislature. On 3 August 1849, Act 13 Victoria No. 14 was finally assented to as "An Act to effect a change in the Style and Title of the Corporation of Melbourne rendered necessary by the erection of the Town of Melbourne to a City".
The city's initial boundaries, as set down in Act 8 Victoria No. 12 (19 December 1844) extended from Point Ormond in Elwood up Barkly Street and Punt Road to the Yarra River, along the river to Merri Creek at Abbotsford, then west along Brunswick Road to Moonee Ponds Creek, then south past Flemington Bridge to Princes Pier in Port Melbourne. The Act imposed on the Mayor a duty to set up "permanent and conspicuous boundary marks of iron, wood, stone or other durable material" along or near the line of the Town's boundaries—this was undertaken by Mayor James Frederick Palmer and Town Clerk John Charles King on 4 February 1846.
During the 1850s, Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond seceded from Melbourne (all are, since 1994, part of the City of Yarra), as did South Melbourne, whilst other parts became parts of the neighbouring districts of St Kilda and Port Melbourne, and the border between Brunswick and Melbourne moved south one block to Park Street.
20th century On 18 December 1902, King Edward VII conferred the title "Lord Mayor" on the mayor of the City of Melbourne.
On 30 October 1905, Melbourne absorbed two neighbouring council areas. Now included in the City was the Borough of Flemington and Kensington, which had been formed in 1882 when it broke away from the City of Essendon. The second, the Town of North Melbourne, formerly known as Hotham, had been established on 30 September 1859 and been granted town status on 18 December 1874. Both town halls are still in use today as public buildings—the former in Kensington near the present-day Newmarket railway station; the latter in Errol Street, North Melbourne.
The Melbourne and Geelong Corporations Act 1938 allowed for three councillors for each of the eleven wards, with a general election held on 24 August 1939.
The first woman in 125 years to be elected to the council was local businessperson Clare J. Cascarret in 1967. The election was said to have cost her over half a million pounds.
Following a recommendation by the Local Government Advisory Board in 1978, an Order in Council (27 February 1979, effective from 19 May 1979) reduced the wards from eleven to eight. In December 1980, the Hamer Government dismissed the council, and appointed three Commissioners to determine how the boundaries could best be altered to produce more effective local government, with special regard to Melbourne's central business district and its importance to the state, as well as to advise changes needed to the constitution, structure, functions and administration. However, in 1982, with the election of a new Labor government under John Cain, the Act establishing the commission was repealed, and the Melbourne Corporation (Election of Council) Act 1982 established six wards, for which an election was held on 4 December 1982. Three years later, an additional ward was added.
In 1993, the City of Melbourne Act specified new boundaries which saw Melbourne gain Southbank and the Port of Melbourne and lose Carlton North, Flemington and other residential areas; these changes took effect on 18 November 1993. At this time, the city was resubdivided into four wards (Flagstaff, University, Hoddle and Domain), but the ward system was abolished in 2001, with the council having a directly elected Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor, and seven other councillors. In 2012, the number of Councillors was increased to nine, in addition to the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor.
In 1999, local government control of the docks area on the west side of the city was given to the Victorian Government's Docklands Authority.
21st century In 2005, the council announced the construction of a new 6-star environmental office building, Council House 2, in Little Collins Street.
On 2 July 2007, the suburb of Docklands was re-added to the City's jurisdiction.
On 1 July 2008, a section of Kensington and North Melbourne was transferred to the City of Melbourne from the City of Moonee Valley.
In July 2009, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle unveiled a new corporate identity for the City of Melbourne, costing $239,558.
Building on the council's longstanding interest in environmental issues, on 16 July 2019, the council voted to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency in line with similar declarations made elsewhere.
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the City of Melbourne caused controversy and breached protocol, by failing to lower the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to half mast, whilst the Australian flag was lowered in mourning.
Council
The City of Melbourne is an unsubdivided municipality, consisting of a directly elected Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor, and nine Councillors. Since 2008, all Victorian councillors serve a four-year term. The most recent general election was held on Saturday 26th October 2024, the next election will take place in October 2028.
During a general election, the City of Melbourne holds two simultaneous elections – one to elect the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor (leadership team) and the other to elect the nine councillors. All residents are entitled to vote in the election, as well as up to two of each of the following: non-residential owners and occupiers of rateable property. If a corporation solely owns or occupies rateable property in the municipality, then the corporation must appoint two company officers (director and/or company secretary, or equivalent) to represent it and vote on its behalf.
Current composition The current makeup of the Council is:
PartyCouncillors Team Nick Reece 4 Greens 1 Innovate Melbourne 1 Labor 1 Liberal 1 Team Kouta 1 Team Morgan 1 Team Wood 1Total 11
Party Councillor Notes Team Nick Reece Nick Reece Mayor Team Nick Reece Roshena Campbell Deputy Mayor Team Nick Reece Kevin Louey Liberal Owen Guest Greens Olivia Ball Team Kouta Gladys Liu Team Wood Philip Le Liu Team Nick Reece Mark Scott Team Morgan Rafael Camillo Innovate Melbourne Andrew Rowse Labor Davydd Griffiths
Election results 2024
2020
Demographics Selected historical census data for City of Melbourne local government areaCensus year 2001200620112016Population Estimated residents on census night LGA rank in terms of size within Victoria 30 25 18% of Victoria population 1.32% 1.45% 1.75% 2.29%% of Australian population 0.32% 0.36% 0.44% 0.58%Cultural and language diversity Ancestry,top responses Chinese 17.1% 22.8%English 16.8% 14.1%Australian 12.7% 9.7%Irish 7.3% 6.0%Scottish 5.6% 4.5%Language,top responses(other than English) Mandarin4.7% 8.1% 10.4% 18.7%Cantonese4.7% 5.6% 4.9% 3.9%Indonesian3.1% 3.1% 2.7% 2.2%Italian1.8% 1.4% Vietnamese1.3% Korean 1.2% 1.4% 2.1%Arabic 1.5% Spanish 1.7%Religious affiliation Religious affiliation,top responses No religion21.1% 26.6% 33.8% 44.5%Catholic20.2% 18.6% 17.2% 12.9%Anglican11.9% 8.4% 6.5% Buddhism6.2% 7.5% 7.6% 6.9%Uniting4.0% Islam 3.5% 4.5% Hinduism 4.0%Median weekly incomes Personal income Median weekly personal income 566 711 642% of Australian median income 121.5% 123.2% 97.0%Family income Median weekly family income 1627 1962 2062% of Australian median income 138.9% 132.5% 118.9%Household income Median weekly household income 1081 1352 1354% of Australian median income 105.3% 109.6% 94.2%Dwelling structure Dwelling type Separate house5.6% 3.7% 5.1% 2.9%Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse21.1% 16.6% 16.7% 12.7%Flat or apartment70.4% 79.2% 77.9% 83.4%
Townships and localities The 2021 census, the city had a population of 149,615 up from 135,959 in the 2016 census
Population Locality 2016 2021 18,535 16,055 Carlton North^ 6,300 6,177 Docklands 10,964 15,495 East Melbourne 4,964 4,896 ^ 7,719 7,025 10,812 10,745 Melbourne CBD^ 47,285 54,941 North Melbourne 14,940 14,953 ^ 7,409 7,074 Port Melbourne^ 16,175 17,633 South Wharf 106 71 South Yarra^ 25,147 25,028 ^ 18,709 22,631 5,515 8,025
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
Population of the urban area Year 1954 1958 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 Population 93,172 89,800* 76,810 75,709 75,830 65,167 59,100* 56,100* 38,504 45,253 60,745 71,380 93,625 135,959 149,615
* Estimates in 1958, 1983 and 1988 Victorian Year Books.
Railway stations
City LoopUpfield, Cragieburn and Werribee, Williamstown Lines Flagstaff Flinders Street Melbourne Central Parliament Southern CrossOther Royal Park Macaulay North Melbourne South KensingtonMernda and Hurstbridge Lines JolimontFlemington Racecourses Line Showgrounds Flemington RacecourseMetro Tunnel Lines Arden Parkville State Library Town Hall Anzac
Schools
Public University High School Victorian College for the Deaf Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
Carlton Primary School Carlton Gardens Primary School Docklands Primary School North Melbourne Primary School South Yarra Primary School
Private Christ Church Grammar School (Victoria, Primary) Eltham College – Year 9 City Campus Haileybury College - City Campus Melbourne Girls' Grammar School Melbourne Grammar School Tintern Grammar Wesley College – St Kilda Road Campuses
Catholic St Aloysius' College St Joseph's College Simonds Catholic College St Michaels Catholic Primary School
Sister cities
The City of Melbourne has five sister cities: Osaka, Japan (established 1978) Tianjin, China (established 1980) Thessaloniki, Greece (established 1984) Boston, Massachusetts, United States (established 1985) Milan, Italy (established 2004)
Between 1989 and 2022, the City of Melbourne had a sister city relationship with Saint Petersburg, Russia; this sister city relationship was indefinitely suspended on 1 March 2022, then terminated on 30 May 2023, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to the sister cities, the City of Melbourne also cooperates with: New Delhi, India Bandung, Indonesia Chengdu, China Chongqing, China Guangzhou, China Nanjing, China