City of Canning Western Australia |
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Population | 98,355 (2015 est) | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 1,517.8/km2 (3,931.1/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1907 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 64.8 km2 (25.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Cannington | ||||||||||||||
Region | South East Metropolitan Perth | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Cannington, Victoria Park, Belmont, Riverton, Southern River | ||||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Swan, Tangney, Canning | ||||||||||||||
Website | City of Canning | ||||||||||||||
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The City of Canning is a local government area in the southeastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of 64.8 square kilometres (25.0 sq mi) and has a population of 85,514 as at the 2011 census. As of November 2014 the Government of Western Australia, as part of its local government downsizing plan, Canning was going cease to exist by July 2015. Since the failure of the state government's council merger process, the governor's order for the merger has been revoked.
In 1871, the Canning Road District was established under the District Roads Act 1871, covering a very wide area to the southeast of Perth. On 1 July 1907, it was abolished and split into the Queen's Park Municipal District and Gosnells Road District (later to become the City of Gosnells). In 1921, Queen's Park was renamed to Canning Road District, and two years later received a large amount of land from Jandakot Road District when that entity was abolished.
On 1 July 1961, Canning Road District became a shire under the Local Government Act 1960. In 1970 it became a town and in 1978 it attained city status.
In late 2012, an inquiry against the Canning City Council launched by the State Government's Department of Local Government resulted in a 476-page report "pointing to widespread dysfunction, micromanagement and alleged serious governance irregularities." As a result, the State Government ordered the suspension of the Council, appointing Linton Reynolds to replace it as City Commissioner.
Two years later, in mid-September 2014, it was reported that the State Government had sacked the four remaining Canning councillors, to be replaced by a panel of three new Commissioners upon the end of Commissioner Reynolds' tenure on September 16. As part of the Department of Local Governments' plans, in which the number of local councils will be reduced drastically, it was announced that the City of Canning would be split up and merged into neighbouring local areas, including the City of Gosnells and City of Melville.