# City of Canterbury Bankstown

Canterbury-Bankstown Council, trading as the City of Canterbury Bankstown and stylised as CBCity, is a local government area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 from a merger of the City of Canterbury and the City of Bankstown, after a review of local government areas by the NSW Government.
The City of Canterbury Bankstown comprises an area of 110.8 square kilometres (42.8 sq mi) and as per the 2021 census, had a population of 371,006 making it the second most populous local government area in New South Wales.
The current mayor is Bilal El-Hayek, a member of the Labor Party, who was elected on 11 May 2023.

## History
### Early history

The traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the land now known as the Canterbury-Bankstown were the Dharug (Darag, Daruk, Dharuk) and Eora peoples. Early indigenous groups relied upon the riparian network of the Georges River and Cooks River catchments towards Botany Bay, with extant reminders of this lifestyle dating back 3,000 years including rock and overhang paintings, stone scrapers, middens and axe grinding grooves.
Following the arrival of Europeans in 1788, the new British settlers in the area burned oyster shells from the middens along Cooks River to produce lime for use in building mortar. The first incursions and eventual land grants in the area by Europeans led to increasing tensions, culminating in a confrontation between Europeans and a group of Aboriginal people led by Tedbury, the son of Pemulwuy, in what is now Punchbowl in 1809. However, following Tedbury's death in 1810, resistance to European settlement generally ended.
In 1793, the eastern Canterbury area's first land grant was made to the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Reverend Richard Johnson, and given the name Canterbury Vale. The District of Bankstown was named by Governor Hunter in 1797 in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The area remained very rural until residential and suburban development followed the development of the Bankstown railway line with the passing of the Marrickville to Burwood Road Railway Act by the NSW Parliament in 1890, extending the rail line from Marrickville Station (later Sydenham Station) to Burwood Road (later Belmore Station) by 1895. With the passing of the Belmore to Chapel Road Railway Act in 1906, the line was extended further to Lakemba, Punchbowl and Bankstown by 1909.

### Local government history
#### Canterbury

After much petitioning of the NSW Government by local residents, the Municipality of Canterbury was proclaimed on 17 March 1879. The council first met in the home of the first mayor, Alderman John Sproule, and premises were then leased in the St Paul's Church schoolroom at 47-49 Canterbury Road, Canterbury. The Canterbury Town Hall, located on Canterbury Road between Canton and Howard Streets, was opened in 1889 by the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes. However, over time, Campsie became a more important centre, particularly along Beamish Street and Canterbury Council planned a gradual move of civic services there when funds became available. In 1954 a Baby Health Centre by Davey & Brindley opened on Beamish Street, followed by a library next door by Davey, Brindley & Vickery in 1958 at a cost of £30,000, and the municipal administration finally moved in 1963. At the time of its opening by the mayor R. J. Schofield on 26 September 1958, the Campsie Library was reputed to be the largest municipal library in Sydney. The Canterbury Municipal Administration Building designed by architects Whitehead & Payne, built by Rex Building Company Pty Ltd, and completed at a cost of £163,000 was opened adjacent to the Library and Baby Health Centre by the mayor, James S. Scott, on 21 September 1963. The City of Canterbury was proclaimed on 16 November 1993 by the Governor of New South Wales, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair.

#### Bankstown

In March 1895 a petition was submitted to the NSW Colonial Government by 109 residents of the Bankstown area, requesting the establishment of the "Municipal District of Bankstown" under the Municipalities Act, 1867. The petition was subsequently accepted and the "Municipal District of Bankstown" was proclaimed by Lieutenant Governor Sir Frederick Darley on 7 September 1895. The first six-member council, standing in one at-large constituency, was elected on 4 November 1895. With the passing of the Local Government Act 1906, the council area became known as the "Municipality of Bankstown".
Bankstown's city status was proclaimed in 1980 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the "City of Bankstown".

### Establishment of Canterbury-Bankstown Council

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Canterbury merge with the City of Bankstown to form a new council with an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 351,000. Following an independent review, on 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced, with the release of the Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016, that the merger with the City of Bankstown would proceed with immediate effect, creating a new council with an area of 72 square kilometres (28 sq mi).
The council was initially under the management of Administrator Richard Colley until elections were held. The first meeting of the council was held at Bankstown Council Chambers on 24 May 2016. The former Bankstown General Manager, Matthew Stewart was proclaimed as the first General Manager of the council. Jim Montague PSM, Canterbury Council General Manager from 1983 to 2016, was initially proclaimed as a Deputy General Manager of the new Council, but retired two weeks after the proclamation.
At the first council meeting on 24 May 2016, the administrator, Richard Colley, resolved to adopt city status and the council name would be known as the "City of Canterbury Bankstown" by way of changing the council's trading name and business registration. However, as this act merely changed the trading name of the council, the legal name as proclaimed in 2016 remains "Canterbury-Bankstown Council", which can only be changed by official proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette under section 206 of the Local Government Act, 1993.

#### Proposed de-amalgamation

In 2021, the council began resolving a proposal to de-amalgamate the City of Canterbury Bankstown. The de-amalgamation would restore the former City of Canterbury and City of Bankstown to their original boundaries. In July 2022, the council began preparations to submit a business case to the NSW Government for approval.
At the ordinary council meeting on 28 November 2023, it was resolved that council would halt all work, and financial spending, on preparing its implementation plan to de-amalgamate, until such time the NSW Government gave an iron-clad commitment to fully fund the cost of any de-amalgamation, and all ongoing costs. However, in 2024, it was confirmed that a bill would be passed in parliament by the NSW Government which would indicate that the government would not fit to bill for any council wishing to de-amalgamate.

## Suburbs in the local government area

Suburbs in the City of Canterbury Bankstown area are:
* Ashbury
* Bankstown
* Bankstown Aerodrome
* Bass Hill
* Birrong
* Belfield
* Belmore
* Beverly Hills
* Campsie
* Canterbury
* Chester Hill
* Chullora
* Clemton Park
* Condell Park
* Croydon Park
* Earlwood
* East Hills
* Georges Hall
* Greenacre
* Hurlstone Park
* Kingsgrove
* Lakemba
* Lansdowne
* Leightonfield
* Milperra
* Mount Lewis
* One Tree Point
* Narwee
* Padstow
* Padstow Heights
* Panania
* Picnic Point
* Potts Hill
* Punchbowl
* Regents Park
* Revesby
* Revesby Heights
* Riverwood
* Roselands
* Sefton
* Villawood
* Wiley Park
* Yagoona

## Economy

The City of Canterbury-Bankstown is home to the second highest number of registered businesses in NSW. In 2021–22, the City of Canterbury-Bankstown had an estimated Gross Regional Product (GRP) of $16.7 billion, making it the eight largest economy in the state.
Multinational companies including Volkswagen have based their Australian operations in Canterbury-Bankstown. The City of Canterbury-Bankstown is home to the largest postal distribution centre in the Southern Hemisphere, which is operated by the Australia Post. Bankstown Airport is a major employment area for aviation and logistics. The NSW Police Force, NSW Ambulance, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service have their flight operations at Bankstown Airport.

## Demographics

Selected historical census data for the City of Canterbury Bankstown :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2016 | 2021 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 346,302 | 371,006 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 1st | 2nd |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 4.63% | 4.59% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 1.48% | 1.46% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Lebanese | 12.5% | 14.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 11.8% | 13.9% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 10.2% | 11.3% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Chinese | 9.4% | 11.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Vietnamese | 6.0% | 7.3% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Arabic | 17.2% | 17.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Vietnamese | 7.2% | 7.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Greek | 5.4% | 4.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Cantonese | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 23.4% | 21.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Islam | 20.8% | 23.6% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 15.0% | 17.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Eastern Orthodox | 8.9% | 8.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | 8.6% | 8.0% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$502 | A$625 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 75.8% | 77.6% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1,437 | A$1,786 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 82.9% | 84.2% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$1,298 | A$1,556 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 90.3% | 89.1% |
| Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Separate house | 57.1% | 55.0% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse | 16.1% | 15.7% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Flat or apartment | 25.9% | 28.5% |

## Council

The Council comprises fifteen Councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017 the current Council was elected for a fixed term of office. Although the fixed term of the council is typically four years, due to delays caused by amalgamations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the first term from 9 September 2017 expired on 4 December 2021. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the Councillors for two-year and one-year terms, respectively. The City of Canterbury Bankstown was under the management of Administrator Richard Colley and Interim General Manager Matthew Stewart until elections were held on 9 September 2017 and the first meeting of the elected Council on 26 September 2017.

### Current composition

The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, the makeup of the council, by order of election, is as follows:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Bankstown Ward | George Zakhia | Liberal | Elected 2017 |
| Bankstown Ward | Khal Asfour | Labor | Elected 2017; Mayor 2017–2023 |
| Bankstown Ward | Bilal El-Hayek | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2019–2020, 2021–2022; Mayor 2023–present |
| Bass Hill Ward | Rachelle Harika | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2020–2021, 2023–2024 |
| Bass Hill Ward | Christopher Cahill | Labor | |
| Bass Hill Ward | Saud Abu-Samen | Community Voice | Elected 2024 |
| Canterbury Ward | Clare Raffan | Labor | Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2018–2019, 2022–2023 |
| Canterbury Ward | Barbara Coorey | Independent | Canterbury West Ward Councillor 1991–1999; Canterbury Deputy Mayor 1995–1996 |
| Canterbury Ward | Conroy Blood | Greens | Elected 2024 |
| Revesby Ward | Wendy Lindsay | Liberal | Elected 2024; State member for East Hills 2019–2023 |
| Revesby Ward | Jennifer Walther | Liberal | Elected 2024 |
| Revesby Ward | David Walsh | Labor | |
| Roselands Ward | Harry Stavrinos | Our Local Community | Elected 2024 |
| Roselands Ward | Karl Saleh | Labor | Canterbury West Ward Councillor 2004–2016; Deputy Mayor 2008–2009, 2012–2013, 2015–2016; 2024–present. |
| Roselands Ward | Sherin Akther | Labor | Elected 2024 |

### Officeholders

| Mayor | Term | Notes |
| Richard Colley (Administrator) | 12 May 2016 – 26 September 2017 | General Manager of Bankstown 2000–2007 and Administrator of Wollongong 2010–2011 |
| Khal Asfour | 26 September 2017 – 11 May 2023 | Mayor of Bankstown 2011–2014, 2015–2016 |
| Bilal El-Hayek | 11 May 2023 – present | |
| Deputy Mayor | Term | Notes |
| Nadia Saleh | 26 September 2017 – 25 September 2018 | |
| Clare Raffan | 25 September 2018 – 19 September 2019 | |
| Bilal El-Hayek | 19 September 2019 – 28 September 2020 | |
| Rachelle Harika | 28 September 2020 – 29 September 2021 | |
| Linda Downey | 29 September 2021 – 24 December 2021 | Mayor of Bankstown 2014–2015 |
| Bilal El-Hayek | 24 December 2021 – 29 September 2022 | |
| Clare Raffan | 29 September 2022 – 11 September 2023 | |
| Rachelle Harika | 11 September 2023 – 15 October 2024 | |
| Karl Saleh | 15 October 2024 – present | |
| General Manager | Term | Notes |
| Matthew Stewart | 12 May 2016 – present | General Manager of Bankstown 2010–2016 |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Canterbury-Bankstown :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 72,278 | 41.3 | −6.1 | 8 | 1 |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 30,096 | 17.2 | −12.8 | 3 | 2 |
| | Greens | Greens | 17,350 | 9.9 | +6.2 | 1 | 1 |
| | Community Voice | Community Voice | 10,093 | 5.8 | | 1 | 1 |
| | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | 6,308 | 3.6 | | 1 | 1 |
| | Libertarian | Libertarian | 15,904 | 9.1 | | 0 | |
| | Animal Justice | Animal Justice | 1,601 | 0.9 | −0.7 | 0 | |
| | Unity | Unity | 1,556 | 0.9 | | 0 | |
| | Democrats | Democrats | 967 | 0.6 | | 0 | |
| | Independents | Independents | 19,042 | 10.9 | −2.3 | 1 | |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 175,195 | 89.9 | | | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 19,577 | 10.1 | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 194,772 | | | 15 | |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | | | | | |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Canterbury-Bankstown :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 83,724 | 47.4 | +0.0 | 9 | |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 52,960 | 30.0 | +0.6 | 5 | |
| | Greens | Greens | 6,608 | 3.7 | −4.8 | 0 | 1 |
| | Independent | Independent | 16,221 | 9.1 | +4.6 | 0 | |
| | Barbara Coorey Independent Group | Barbara Coorey Independent Group | 9,027 | 5.1 | +5.1 | 1 | 1 |
| | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | 5,105 | 2.9 | −7.2 | 0 | |
| | Animal Justice | Animal Justice | 2,746 | 8.2 | +8.2 | 0 | |
| | Communist League | Communist League | 99 | 0.1 | | 0 | |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 176,490 | | | | |

## Heritage listings

The City of Canterbury Bankstown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Ashbury, Holden Street: Ashfield Reservoir
* Belmore, Burwood Road: Belmore railway station
* Canterbury, Bankstown railway: Canterbury railway station, Sydney
* Canterbury, 9 Fore Street: Bethungra, Canterbury
* Canterbury, Sugar House Road: Old Sugarmill
* Condell Park, Corner of Marion and Edgar Street: Bankstown Bunker
* Earlwood, Pine Street: Cooks River Sewage Aqueduct
* Earlwood, Unwin Street: Wolli Creek Aqueduct

## International relations
### Sister cities

The City of Canterbury Bankstown has 7 sister cities.
* Broken Hill, Australia
* Cobar Shire, Australia
* Suita, Japan
* Yangcheon District, Seoul, South Korea
* Eunpyeong District, Seoul, South Korea
* Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China
* Colorado Springs, United States