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City of Launceston

Coordinates: 41°21′38″S 147°18′16″E / 41.3605°S 147.3044°E / -41.3605; 147.3044
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This article is about the Australian local government area. For the metropolitan area, see Launceston, Tasmania.

Launceston City Council
Tasmania
Map
Map showing the Launceston local government area
Coordinates41°21′38″S 147°18′16″E / 41.3605°S 147.3044°E / -41.3605; 147.3044
Population70,055 (2021)[1]
 • Density49.544/km2 (128.32/sq mi)
Established1 January 1853[2]
Area1,414 km2 (545.9 sq mi)[1]
MayorMatthew Garwood
Council seatLaunceston
RegionLaunceston and surrounds
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteLaunceston City Council
LGAs around Launceston City Council:
West Tamar George Town Dorset
West Tamar Launceston City Council Break O'Day
Meander Valley Northern Midlands Northern Midlands
Map showing Launceston City LGA in Tasmania

Launceston City Council (or City of Launceston) is a local government body in Tasmania, located in the city and surrounds of Launceston in the north of the state. The Launceston local government area is classified as urban and has a population of 77,363,[1] which also encompasses localities including Lilydale, Targa and through to Swan Bay on the eastern side of the Tamar River.

Government

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The current mayor is Matthew Garwood, elected in 2023.

Name Position[3]
Matthew Garwood Mayor/councillor
Hugh McKenzie Deputy mayor/councillor
Danny Gibson Councillor
Andrea Dawkins Councillor
Alan Harris Councillor
Tim Walker Councillor
George Razay Councillor
Joe Pentridge Councillor
Andrew Palmer Councillor
Lindi McMahon Councillor
Susie Cai Councillor
Alex Britton Councillor

History and attributes

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Launceston is classified as urban, regional and medium (URM) under the Australian Classification of Local Governments.[4] The population at the 2016 Census was over 65,000, making Launceston the most populous of the 29 local government areas in Tasmania.

The municipality logo features the now extinct Tasmanian tiger, an indigenous marsupial that used to be prevalent in the Launceston district.

History

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Launceston was first declared as a municipality in 1853 and declared a city in 1888.[5] Its original boundaries have long since been redefined and the area now known as the City of Launceston includes parts of the former Lilydale, St Leonard's, Evandale and Westbury Municipalities.[6] In the 1890s, the municipality grew to include Galvin Town (South Launceston) and in 1906 to include the northern suburbs of Invermay, Mowbray and Trevallyn.[7] This has produced a local government area that overlaps its similarly named city, rather than either being contained by or encompassing it.

Women were ineligible to stand for election to the Launceston City Council until 1945,[8] despite being granted the same rights at federal and state level in 1902 and 1921, respectively.

Localities

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Suburbs of the city of Launceston

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• Dilston • East Launceston • Invermay • Kings Meadows • Launceston • Mayfield • Mowbray • Newnham • Newstead • Norwood • Prospect • Punchbowl • Ravenswood • Rocherlea • South Launceston • St Leonards • Summerhill • Trevallyn • Waverley • West Launceston • Youngtown

Localities other than suburbs

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• Bangor • Blessington • Burns Creek • Golconda • Karoola • Lalla • Lebrina • Lilydale • Lower Turners Marsh • Mount Direction • Myrtle Bank • North Lilydale • Nunamara • Patersonia • Pipers Brook • Pipers River • Prospect Vale • Relbia • Retreat • Springfield • Swan Bay • Targa • Tayene • Tunnel • Turners Marsh • Underwood • Upper Blessington • White Hills • Windermere • Wyena

Sister city relations

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Homelessness

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Homelessness in Launceston has been a growing problem.[9][10] Launceston City Council does not hold or track statistics on homelessness but relies on Homes Tasmania to do so.[11]

2024 Strike it Out, Inc Removal

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Charity Strike it Out, Inc operating in Launceston was forced remove sleeping trailers during the middle of winter with recorded overnight minimum temperatures of -3°,[12] which the charity acquired to alleviate the situation of rough sleepers sleeping in freezing conditions in Launceston City during the winter periods[13] after a long running tussle between the council and the charity.[14] The Launceston City Council rejected any blame, releasing a press release on 1 July 2024 after media scrutiny following the removal of the pods.[15]

The charity has been attempting to get permits from the council for the infrastructure but the council had imposed ad-hoc arbitrary conditions, including compliance with a privacy act it has no enforcement jurisdiction on.[13][16] The council does not have any general policy of approving homeless accommodation providers' proposals or requests.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "2021 Launceston, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 23 July 2023. Resident population on census night, 10 August 2021.
  2. ^ https://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/tas/num_act/aatemcitcohtatol16vn17854/
  3. ^ "Meet Us - Launceston City". launceston.tas.gov.au. Launceston City Council. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Local government national report 2014-2015". regional.gov.au. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  5. ^ History Pages (2007). "Significant works of architects in Launceston". Architecture History of Tasmania. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Agency Details: Launceston City Council". search.archives.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Government. January 1852. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  7. ^ State Library Service of Tasmania (1999). "Properties in Launceston - their owners and occupiers". Retrieved 22 May 2007.
  8. ^ "Women may be eligible for Council". Launceston Examiner. 14 April 1945.
  9. ^ "Homeless in Launceston doing their best to survive, but tensions boiling over". Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Launceston homelessness on the rise as those in need fall through system gaps".
  11. ^ "Homeless Statistics". Right To Know via RTI Request. 4 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ "'Where's the humanity?': Charity forced to warehouse portable beds, showers in freezing Tasmania".
  13. ^ a b "Strike It Out told to remove sleeping pods and shower trailers for homeless people in Launceston".
  14. ^ "Strike it Out Documentation - Strike it Out's proposal". Right To Know via RTI Request. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Council rejects blame for sleeping pod project delays". City of Launceston. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Council Policy on Using Privacy Act Jurisdiction / Powers". Right To Know via RTI Request. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Policy or Approval Criteria for Homeless temporary accomodation". Right To Know via RTI Request. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024.
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