City of Greater Dandenong
| City of Greater Dandenong Victoria | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The City of Greater Dandenong within metropolitan Melbourne | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°01′0″S 145°20′38″E / 38.01667°S 145.34389°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 166,094 (2018)[1] (43rd) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1,280/km2 (3,310/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1994 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 130 km2 (50.2 sq mi)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Eden Foster | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Dandenong | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Greater Melbourne | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | |||||||||||||||
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| Website | City of Greater Dandenong | ||||||||||||||
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The City of Greater Dandenong is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of just under 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) and 166,094 residents in 2018.[1] 29% of its land area forms part of the South East Green Wedge. It was formed in 1994 by the merger of parts of the former City of Dandenong and City of Springvale.
The Bunurong/Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri peoples are the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which Greater Dandenong is now located.[2]
History[edit]
In 1994, the state government restructured local government in Victoria. The reforms dissolved 210 councils and created 78 new councils through amalgamations. As part of the reforms City of Springvale and City of Dandenong were merged to create City of Greater Dandenong.
Council[edit]
Greater Dandenong City Council | |
|---|---|
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Angela Long |
| Structure | |
 | |
Council political groups | Labor (8) Ind. Liberal (2) Greens (1) |
Greater Dandenong City Council comprises 11 councillors, elected from single member wards.[3] Prior to 2020, councillors were elected from four wards: Lightwood, Paperbark, Red Gum and Silverleaf. Councillors are elected to fixed-four year terms in a proportional manner using the STV voting system, with each ward electing Councillors based on their respective population.
Elections are held every four years, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1989, with voting being compulsory. Voter turnout figures by the Victorian Electoral Commission show that 81.7% of eligible voters voted at the last council election in 2020.[4]
Current composition[edit]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 8 | |
| Liberal | 2 | |
| Greens | 1 | |
| Total | 11 | |
The composition of Greater Dandenong City Council is one of the most Labor-dominated in the state, demonstrated by its high percentage of councillors who are members of the party and its below-average number of independent councillors. This political membership is reflected through the local federal and state MPs, both of whom are ALP-affiliated. The most recent elections were held on 24 October 2020 and produced the following results:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleeland | Angela Long | Labor | |
| Dandenong | Jim Memeti | Labor | |
| Dandenong North | Bob Milkovic | Independent Liberal | |
| Keysborough | Tim Dark | Independent Liberal | |
| Keysborough South | Rhonda Garad | Greens | |
| Noble Park | Sophie Tan | Labor | |
| Noble Park North | Lana Formoso | Labor | |
| Springvale Central | Richard Lim | Labor | |
| Springvale North | Sean O'Reilly | Labor | |
| Springvale South | Loi Truong | Labor | |
| Yarraman | Eden Foster | Labor | |
Mayor[edit]
The mayor is the head of the municipality, leading and coordinating the council's work. The position of mayor is a mostly ceremonial one, expected to represent the City and act as its public spokesperson. The mayor is not entirely a figurehead, however, instead being tasked with chairing council meetings and being involved with a greater number of community events such as citizenship ceremonies.[5]
A mayor is elected among the councillors for a term of one year, meaning that each period between two local government elections usually sees four mayorships. Clare O'Neil became the youngest female mayor in Australian history when she served as mayor of Greater Dandenong from March to November 2004.
Past councillors[edit]
2020−present (11 wards)[edit]
| Year | Cleeland | Dandenong | Dandenong North | Keysborough | Keysborough South | Noble Park | Noble Park North | Springvale Central | Springvale North | Springvale South | Yarraman | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | Angela Long (Labor) | Jim Memeti (Labor) | Bob Milkovic (Ind. Liberal) | Tim Dark (Ind. Liberal) | Rhonda Garad (Greens) | Sophie Tan (Labor) | Lana Formoso (Labor) | Richard Lim (Labor) | Sean O'Reilly (Labor) | Loi Truong (Labor) | Eden Foster (Labor) | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Phillip Danh (Labor) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Election results[edit]
2020[edit]
The Labor Party did not officially endorse candidates, however 28 party members contested as Dandenong Labor candidates (and a further two contested as Independent Labor without the full endorsement of the other 28).[6]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dandenong Labor | 41,714 | 52.83 | 8 | |||
| Independent | 25,146 | 31.85 | 0 | |||
| Independent Liberal | 6,040 | 7.65 | 2 | |||
| Independent Labor | 3,817 | 4.83 | 0 | 
| ||
| Greens | 2,234 | 2.82 | 1 |
| ||
| Formal votes | 78,951 | |||||
Places of interest[edit]
- Dandenong Market
- Drum Theatre
- Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens Archived 2 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- City of Greater Dandenong Libraries
Townships and localities[edit]
The 2021 census, the city had a population of 158,208 up from 152,050 in the 2016 census[8]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Bangholme | 784 | 749 |
| Dandenong | 29,906 | 30,127 |
| Dandenong North | 22,451 | 22,550 |
| Dandenong South | 160 | 125 |
| Keysborough | 25,785 | 30,018 |
| Lyndhurst^ | 6,725 | 8,926 |
| Noble Park | 30,998 | 32,257 |
| Noble Park North | 7,468 | 7,436 |
| Springvale | 21,714 | 22,174 |
| Springvale South | 12,768 | 12,766 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
Sport[edit]
The Dandenong Rangers played in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) at Dandenong Stadium until being rebranded in 2019. The Rangers won three WNBL championships.
The Dandenong Thunder compete in the Victorian Premier League, playing at George Andrews Reserve. In 2012, the team claimed the famous treble of the Victorian Premier League championship, the Victorian Premier League Minor Premiership, and the Football Federation Victoria State Knockout Cup.
The Greater Dandenong Warriors Hockey Club is based at the Bill Toon Playing fields on Cleeland Road, Dandenong North. The club currently fields four men's teams, one women's team, five junior teams and three master teams.[9]
Community groups[edit]
Greater Dandenong has many active community groups.
Service clubs include the Lions Club of Greater Dandenong, the Lions Club of Dandenong, the Lions Club of Dandenong (Supper), the Rotary Club of Dandenong, the Rotary Club of Noble Park and the Rotary Club of Springvale.
Schools[edit]
The City of Greater Dandenong has a sister city relationship with Xuzhou, a city in China. Due to this connection the following schools in Greater Dandenong have established relationships with schools in Xuzhou:
- Wallarano Primary School and Minzulu
- Coomoora Secondary College & Xuzhou No. 3 Middle School
- Springvale Primary School & Xuzhou Arts School
- Maralinga Primary School & Jinshinqaun
- Noble Park English Language School & Xinyi Middle School
- Springvale Secondary College & Xuzhou No.1 Middle School
Public Libraries[edit]
- Greater Dandenong Public Library Service provides library service through two branch libraries: Springvale and Dandenong.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
- ^ "City of Greater Dandenong Reconciliation Action Plan Dec 2017-2019". Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Wards". Greater Dandenong. City of Greater Dandenong. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Greater Dandenong City Council election results 2020".
- ^ "MAV - Mayor's role". Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Leaked email reveals Labor's influence on council elections". Herald Sun.
- ^ "Greater Dandenong City Council election results 2020". Victorian Electoral Commission.
- ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
- ^ "About - Greater Dandenong Warriors Hockey Club".
External links[edit]
Media related to City of Greater Dandenong at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Metlink local public transport map
- Link to Land Victoria interactive maps Archived 24 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- Local Government & Municipal Knowledge Base
- Victorian Electoral Commission – Greater Dandenong City Council profile
