Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. The generic names of Local Governments vary from state to state; examples include Borough, City, District, Municipality, Region, Rural City, Shire and Town. Many Local Government Areas in New South Wales and some in South Australia no longer possess a classifier such as Shire or Municipality, but are simply known as a Council, e.g. Manly Council or Waverley Council. This is due to the phenomenon in some regional variants of Australian English of referring to the geographic area belonging to a local government as a council, when in other countries this word refers only to the board of elected politicians that administers local government affairs. Australian Bureau of Statistics logo The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the Australian government agency that collects and publishes statistical information about Australia. ... Australia has two tiers of subnational government: state (or territory) government and local government. ... Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Emblems: Hairy Nosed Wombat (faunal); Leafy Seadragon (marine); Piping Shrike (bird: unofficial); Sturts Desert Pea (floral); Opal (gemstone) Motto: United for the Common Wealth Slogan or Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Const. ... Australian English (AuE) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ...

The creation and delimitation of LGAs is the responsibility of the state and territory Governments. In all states and the Northern Territory each incorporated area has an official status. The various LGA status types or classifiers currently in use are:

• New South Wales: Cities (C) and Areas (A)
• Victoria: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Boroughs (B) and Shires (S)
• Queensland: Cities (C), Shires (S), Towns (T) and Island Councils (IC)
• South Australia: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Municipalities/Municipal Councils (M), District Councils (DC), Regional Councils (RegC) and Aboriginal Councils (AC)
• Western Australia: Cities (C), Towns (T) and Shires (S)
• Tasmania: Cities (C) and Municipalities (M)
• Northern Territory: Cities (C), Towns (T), Community Government Councils (CGC) and Shires (S).

Another term used, especially for the LGA governing bodies is G3 for the third level of Government in Australia. Commonwealth, State, and LGA. G3 is difficult to accurately place in the structure of Australian Government, it is not mentioned in the Commonwealth Constitution, nor in most State Constitutional Law. State Governments are responsible for the legislation creating it, and ultimately for supervision. However recent years have seen State governments increasingly devolving powers onto LGA, as in Queensland where LGA's have been granted the power to independently enact their own (local) Laws, in contrast to the previous system of By-Laws. Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Emblems: Pink heath (floral)Weedy Seadragon (Aquatic) helmeted honeyeater (bird) Leadbeaters possum (faunal) Motto: Peace and Prosperity Slogan or Nickname: Garden State, The Place To Be, On The Move Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... Emblems: Faunal - Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); Floral - Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum); Bird - Brolga (Grus rubicunda); Aquatic - Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos); Gem - Sapphire; Colour - Maroon Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... Emblems: Hairy Nosed Wombat (faunal); Leafy Seadragon (marine); Piping Shrike (bird: unofficial); Sturts Desert Pea (floral); Opal (gemstone) Motto: United for the Common Wealth Slogan or Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Const. ... Emblems: Floral - Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii); Mammal - Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus); Bird - Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) Motto: none Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Const. ... Emblems: Flora - Tasmanian Blue Gum; Mineral - Crocoite Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Slogan or Nickname: The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Const. ... Capital Darwin Government Const. ... G3 countries. ...

The Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory and the external territories do not have Local Government Areas distinct from their Territory governments. Emblems: The floral emblem of the ACT is the Royal Bluebell and the faunal emblem is the Gang-gang cockatoo Motto: For the Queen, the Law and the People Slogan or Nickname: (none) Other Australian states and territories Capital Canberra Government Const. ... The Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

• Local Government Areas of New South Wales
• Local Government Areas of Victoria
• Local Government Areas of Queensland
• Local Government Areas of South Australia
• Local Government Areas of Western Australia
• Local Government Areas of Tasmania
• Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory

The Local Government Areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas. ... Municipalities of Greater Melbourne City of Banyule City of Bayside City of Boroondara City of Brimbank Shire of Cardinia City of Casey City of Darebin City of Frankston City of Glen Eira City of Greater Dandenong City of Hobsons Bay City of Hume City of Kingston City of Knox City... This is a list of Local Government Areas of Queensland Australia External link Statoids on Australia Shires Categories: Local Government Areas of Queensland ... This is a list of Local Government Areas of South Australia. ... Local Government Areas of Western Australia There are 144 Local Governments in Western Australia (including Christmas Island and Cocos Islands), represented by the Western Australian Local Government Association External link Statoids on Australia Shires Categories: Local Government Areas of Western Australia ... Local Government Areas of Tasmania, Australia This article also includes lists of towns, suburbs and localities of Tasmania. ... The Northern Territory has 63 Local Government Areas; though only 6 councils are considered municipalities, there are other types of local bodies. ...

External links

• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) 2005