Information for Students

The following section is a resource guide created to help answer students with questions/ projects about Council.

Liverpool City Council's Student Council Chambers Visit program is aimed at primary school students to help them learn more about what the Liverpool City Council does and their local community.

Students will learn about:

  • The history of Liverpool
  • The three levels of Government
  • Services provided by Council
  • The roles Mayor/Councillors/CEO
  • Local government elections
  • What happens during a Council meeting.

The visit takes approximately 1.5 hours and there are no costs involved

The visit is determined by Council resources.

Teachers should call Council's Customer Service Centre on 1300 36 2170 to make a reservation.

Liverpool was founded on November 7, 1810 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and named in honour of the Earl of Liverpool, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Liverpool is Australia's fourth oldest town behind Sydney, Parramatta and Hobart.  Unlike these cities, Liverpool was the first free planned settlement of Australia.

After planning the Town Square, Macquarie appointed emancipated architect Francis Greenway to design a church.  In 1818 he laid the foundation stone and named the church St Lukes.  Another monument to Greenway's genius is the TAFE College, which was built as the first hospital.

The coming of the railway opened in September 1856 and the electric telegraph in 1858, provided speedy, safe transport and communications and began the transformation of Liverpool into a major regional city.

The history of local government in Liverpool dates back to 1848 when a district Council was formed. It was not until June 27, 1872 that the Liverpool municipality was proclaimed and Richard Sadleir became the first Mayor.

The First World War brought changes to Liverpool. There were extensive military training activities in the area and German prisoners of war were held at Holsworthy.

The Holsworthy-Moorebank area was again used during World War II to train and house thousands of troops. The Army has maintained its long association with the Liverpool community through the Holsworthy barracks and field training establishment.

There are three levels of government in Australia – federal government, state government and local government.  Sometimes their duties overlap.  At other times they are quite separate.

Federal Government

This is the national level of government.  The Federal Government is also called the Commonwealth.  Its job is to decide on matters that affect the whole country – things like foreign affairs, the army, TV and telephone services.

The leader of the Commonwealth is called the Prime Minister. The Federal Government meets in Canberra, which is the nation's capital.

State Government

Each state has its own State Government.  Some of the things state governments are responsible for include education, health, police, railways, main roads and public housing.

The leader of each State Government is called the Premier.  State Governments meet in the capital City of their state. In NSW the State Government meets in Sydney.

Local Government

Local Government is the third kind of government. An individual Local Government is called a Council. It is responsible for a much smaller area than the Federal or State Governments.  The leader of the council is called the Mayor.

Each Local Government is governed by its own local Council. Councils control such things as garbage removal, local roads, buildings, parks, libraries, childcare, youth services, social planning, and the local environment in general as well as many other resident services.

Local Councils can be made up of a group of suburbs, a town and the surrounding countryside or a rural area.

Councils that are very large or are responsible for a major town are called city councils.  Some council's which look after an area which is partly rural are called shire councils.

Liverpool City Council is a City Council. Liverpool City Council governs 42 suburbs from Greendale to Holsworthy.

There are more than 100 councils in NSW. There are more than 500 councils across Australia.

In September 2016, Liverpool City Council had 11 new Councillors elected at the  Local Government Elections.

Sometimes the Council area is divided up into a number of parts, called wards. A number of Councillors are elected for each ward. Liverpool City Council has two wards,  South and  North.

The leader of the Councillors is called the Mayor. In Sydney, Parramatta, Newcastle and Wollongong the leader is called the Lord Mayor.

Councils meet on a regular basis. Liverpool Council meets every month to discuss local issues and to make decisions on behalf of the local community.

Liverpool City Council helps the local community in the following ways:

  • Providing services, facilities, resources and support to the community;
  • Protecting the community to make sure it is safe and clean;
  • Preventing harmful influences such as excessive noise and pollution;
  • Planning services, facilities and developments affecting our future;
  • Representing Liverpool to other areas of government.

Liverpool City Council provides and manages services to benefit the local community.

Council has to ensure that services are run efficiently and that the public's needs, now and in the future, are properly met.

Projects and programs are run to ensure that specific groups such as children, youth, the aged, the disabled, those of non-English speaking backgrounds and those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds are not disadvantaged in regards to accessing Council services/facilities or from participating in civic life.

Following is a list of services Council offers:

  • Deciding where new roads, houses, buildings, shops and opens spaces should go
  • Managing rubbish and recycling and controlling pollution
  • Providing childcare centres, youth centres and community centres
  • Providing libraries, community halls and buses
  • Providing facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, sporting fields, parks and recreation centres
  • Organising community events and festivals
  • Cleaning streets, footpaths, parks and other public spaces
  • Registering dogs and collecting strays.

For more information on Council services please click on the following highlighted link to go to the Services section of Council's website.

The main source of revenue is through rates, charges, fees, grants, borrowings and income from investment.

For more information about Liverpool City please visit the Liverpool Community Profile.