City of Greater Geraldton

City of Greater Geraldton Western Australia
Location in Western Australia
Population	40,448 (2013 est)
• Density	3.20368/km2 (8.29748/sq mi)
Established	2011
Area	12,625.5 km2 (4,874.7 sq mi)
Council seat	Geraldton
Region	Mid West
State electorate(s)	Geraldton
Federal Division(s)	Durack
Website	City of Greater Geraldton
LGAs around City of Greater Geraldton: Indian Ocean Murchison, Chapman Valley Murchison Indian Ocean City of Greater Geraldton Yalgoo Indian Ocean Mingenew, Irwin Morawa

The City of Greater Geraldton is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 12,625.5 square kilometres (4,874.7 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Geraldton.

It was established on 1 July 2011 following the amalgamation of the Shire of Mullewa and the City of Geraldton-Greenough, itself a product of a 2007 amalgamation between the City of Geraldton and Shire of Greenough.

Geraldton was proclaimed as a municipal district on 21 February 1871. On 1 July 1961, it became a town under the new Local Government Act 1960. On 22 April 1988, Geraldton attained city status.

The Greenough and Geraldton Road Boards — the latter not to be confused with the Geraldton Municipality — were proclaimed on 24 January 1871. Initially, Greenough included all of Murchison, which split away on 3 August 1875 and Mullewa, which formed on 11 August 1911. In 1951, Geraldton and Greenough road boards merged, and on 1 July 1961 became the Shire of Geraldton-Greenough under the new Local Government Act 1960. On 19 March 1965, it was renamed the Shire of Greenough.

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.

The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal. However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.

The Liberal government, elected in mid-2008, announced its intentions to amalgamate local governments around the state in line with reforms undertaken elsewhere in Australia. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed, but a number of local governments commenced negotiations for voluntary mergers. One such group included the City, the Shire of Chapman Valley and the Shire of Mullewa. In February 2010, Chapman Valley decided not to proceed, citing community opposition. In December 2010, the Local Government Advisory Board approved the merger. Polls were held in both municipalities, with 72.61% of voters in Geraldton-Greenough and 83.23% of voters in Mullewa voting against the merger. However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% required to be a valid poll, and the City of Greater Geraldton came into being on 1 July 2011.