City of Sydney

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Publication Guide

The City of Sydney’s publication guide describes who we are and what we do. It also describes how members of the public, community organisations, the media and government agencies can interact with us.

 

Structure and functions

The City of Sydney is the second oldest municipality in Australia. It was established in 1842.

The City of Sydney Council is constituted under the Local Government Act 1993 and the City of Sydney Act 1988.

The City of Sydney covers approximately 26.15 square kilometres and is home to more than 183,000 people who live in the 10 village precincts across its local government area (LGA) - including the Central Business District.

As a capital city council, the City of Sydney is responsible for the commercial, financial and cultural hub of Sydney, while at the same time servicing and enhancing its local precincts and villages.

The City attracts up to one million visitors everyday; to work, shop, play, be educated, conduct business or see the sights.

Almost half of city residents are aged between 18 and 34. Two-thirds of the population increase in the last five years has occurred in this age group.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the City, at more than $90 billion, represents over 8 per cent (nearly one twelfth) of the national Australian GDP, over 30 per cent of the Sydney metropolitan area and almost one-quarter of the entire state’s GDP.

The City’s landmark Sustainable Sydney 2030 program is the driving force behind everything we do. It supports our provision of a range of services, programs and initiatives on behalf of residents, businesses and visitors and advances Sydney’s position as Australia’s premier city.

Further information About Sydney can be found on the website.

Council Overview

The City of Sydney is represented by a publicly elected Council that is responsible for providing leadership and vision for the city. The Council consists of 10 Councillors, including the Lord Mayor.  The role of Council is to:

  1. represent the community and advocate its viewpoint;
  2. formulate policy and make decisions that will benefit the community as a whole;
  3. oversee the implementation of policy and reviewing the ongoing performance of the organisation; and
  4. approve the Council budget and key expenditure items.

Further information on the Council can be found on the website.

Organisational Overview and Structure

The City of Sydney is led by the Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for the efficient operation of the City and for ensuring implementation of Council’s decisions.   

There are nine divisions in Council to assist the Chief Executive Officer  in the exercise of the functions contained in section 335 of the Local Government Act 1993. Each division is headed by a Director responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs to achieve the City’s vision.

The City of Sydney's role and responsibilites are detailed within the Operational Plan 2011/12.

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How Council’s functions affect members of the public

All functions of the Council affect the public either directly or indirectly. The City encourages and provides its community with opportunities to comment and provide input into the decision making process to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.

Council Functions

The set of principles that guide Council in carrying out its functions are detailed in chapter 5 and chapter 6 of the Local Government Act 1993.

The Council’s Charter

Council’s decision making functions which affects the public are based upon the Council’s Charter which is contained in chapter 3 of the Local Government Act 1993.

Delegations of authority

The registers of the functions delegated by Council to the Lord Mayor, Chief Executive Officer and to City Officers are available for download.

Downloads

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How the public can participate in policy development and the exercising of functions

There are two broad ways in which the public may participate in the policy development and the general activities of the Council. These are through representation and personal participation.

Representation

Local government in Australia is based on the principle of representative democracy. This means that the people elect representatives to their local council to make decisions on their behalf. In NSW, local government elections are held every four years. An election was held in September 2008 with the next election in September, 2012.

At each election the City of Sydney Councillors are elected by voters for a four year term to represent the entire local government area as the City is not divided into wards.  All residents of the area who are on the electoral roll are eligible to vote. Property owners who live outside of the area and rate paying lessees can also vote, but must register their intention to vote on the non residential roll. Voting is compulsory.

Residents are able to raise issues with, and make representations to, the elected Councillors. If the Councillors agree with the issue or representation, they may pursue the matter on the resident's behalf.

Personal Participation

The Councillors serve on Standing Committees, which deal with various areas of responsibility.  Residents, ratepayers and interested parties are invited to attend and address Committee meetings on items listed on the Committee agendas.

The current standing Committees are:

 

Guidelines for Speakers at Council Committees and information on How Decisions are Made are available on the website.

In addition, the City of Sydney has community consultation meetings which help keep residents up to date with local issues of concern. The meetings are held at different venues and provide an excellent opportunity to meet and talk with local Councillors and City staff.  Dates are listed in advance in each edition of the City of Sydney’s community newsletter and residents are notified by letterbox with details a week before each meeting.

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Types of documents held by the City

The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 provides the public with a general right of assess to information held by the City as long as it does not infringe privacy laws or other laws or may be detrimental to any person.  This includes information created by the City and information supplied to the City by external organisations or individuals which is available on the City’s register of Open Access Information.

The City of Sydney holds the following categories of information:

  • Reports
  • Returns
  • Plans and Polices
  • Agendas and Business Papers
  • Minutes of Meetings
  • Registers
  • Codes
  • Certificates
  • Applications
  • Approvals and Orders.

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How can I access information held by the City

Access to information may occur in one of four ways; open access information, proactive release, informal release and formal access applications as a last resort.  Please visit our Access to Information page for more information on this.

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Further Information

 

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Last Updated: Tuesday 31 January, 2012

Please Note:
While care is taken to ensure accuracy, the City of Sydney cannot guarantee that information expressed here is correct and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. The City of Sydney makes no warranty or undertaking, whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect.