Editing Sydney (section)

==Government==
{{See also|Local government areas of New South Wales}}

===Historical governance===
[[File:Parliament house sydney nsw b..jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Parliament House, Sydney|Parliament House]] holds the [[Government of New South Wales]] and is the oldest public building in Australia.]]The first five governors had near autocratic power in the colony of New South Wales, subject only to the laws of England and the supervision of the Colonial Office in London. Sydney was the seat of government for the colony which encompassed over half the Australian continent.<ref name="Kingston-2006b">Kingston (2006). pp. 1–2, 27–28</ref> The first Legislative Council met in 1826,<ref name="Kingston-2006c">Kingston (2006). p. 28</ref> and in 1842, the imperial parliament expanded and reformed the council, making it partly elected.<ref name="Hirst-2014">Hirst, John (2014), pp. 51–54</ref> In the same year, the town of Sydney officially became a city and an elected municipal council was established.<ref name="scc">{{cite web |title=History of Sydney City Council |url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf?download=true |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617055655/https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf?download=true |archive-date=17 June 2021 |access-date=17 June 2021 |publisher=City of Sydney |format=PDF }}</ref><ref name="Golder-1995">{{cite book |author=Hilary Golder |url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_electoral_history.pdf?download=true |title=A Short Electoral History of the Sydney City Council 1842–1992 |publisher=City of Sydney |year=1995 |isbn=0-909368-93-7 |format=PDF |access-date=17 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617055958/https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_electoral_history.pdf?download=true |archive-date=17 June 2021 }}</ref> The council had limited powers, mostly relating to services such as street lighting and drainage.<ref name="uow">{{cite conference |author=Kelly, A. H. |date=4–8 July 2011 |title=The Development of Local Government in Australia, Focusing on NSW: From Road Builder to Planning Agency to Servant of the State Government and Developmentalism |url=http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=lawpapers |format=Paper |location=Perth |publisher=[[University of Wollongong]] |access-date=1 January 2017 |event=World Planning Schools Congress 2011 |archive-date=11 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011225005/http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=lawpapers |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its boundaries were restricted to an area of 11.6 square kilometres, taking in the city centre and the modern suburbs of [[Woolloomooloo]], [[Surry Hills, New South Wales|Surry Hills]], [[Chippendale, New South Wales|Chippendale]], and [[Pyrmont, New South Wales|Pyrmont]].<ref name="Sydney-2020b"/> As Sydney grew, other municipal councils were formed to provide local administration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=Shirley |date=2011 |title=Sydney |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=The Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref>

In 1856, New South Wales achieved responsible government with the introduction of a bicameral parliament, based in Sydney, comprising a directly elected [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] and a nominated [[New South Wales Legislative Council|Legislative Council]].<ref name="Kingston-2006a">Kingston, Beverley (2006). pp. 36, 55–57, 61–62</ref> With the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, Sydney became the capital of the state of New South Wales and its administration was divided between the Commonwealth, State and constituent local governments.<ref name="Kingston-2006a" />

===Government in the present===
[[File:Sydney Town Hall, 2022, 06.jpg|thumb|The [[Sydney Town Hall]] is the seat of the [[City of Sydney]]; the oldest [[Local government areas of New South Wales|local government]] in the city]]
In common with other Australian capital cities, Sydney has no single local government covering its whole area. [[Local government areas of New South Wales|Local government areas]] have responsibilities such as local roads, libraries, child care, community services and waste collection, whereas the state government retains responsibility for main roads, traffic control, public transport, policing, education, and major infrastructure project.<ref>{{cite web |date=2014 |title=Three levels of government |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/Fact_Sheets/three_lvls.htm |access-date=27 July 2014 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission}}</ref> There are 33 local government areas which are wholly or mostly within Greater Sydney as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.<ref name="AU Stats-2022" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=ABS maps |url=https://maps.abs.gov.au/ |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Bayside Council|Bayside]]
* [[City of Canterbury-Bankstown|Canterbury-Bankstown]]
* [[City of Blacktown|Blacktown]]
* [[City of Blue Mountains|Blue Mountains]]
* [[Municipality of Burwood|Burwood]]
* [[Camden Council (New South Wales)|Camden]]
* [[City of Campbelltown (New South Wales)|Campbelltown]]
* [[City of Canada Bay|Canada Bay]]
* [[Central Coast Council (New South Wales)|Central Coast]]
* [[Cumberland Council (New South Wales)|Cumberland]]
* [[City of Fairfield|Fairfield]]
* [[Georges River Council|Georges River]]
* [[City of Hawkesbury|Hawkesbury]]
* [[The Hills Shire|The Hills]]
* [[Hornsby Shire|Hornsby]]
* [[Municipality of Hunter's Hill|Hunter's Hill]]
* [[Inner West Council|Inner West]]
* [[Ku-ring-gai Council|Ku-ring-gai]]
* [[Municipality of Lane Cove|Lane Cove]]
* [[City of Liverpool (New South Wales)|Liverpool]]
* [[Municipality of Mosman|Mosman]]
* [[North Sydney Council|North Sydney]]
* [[Northern Beaches Council|Northern Beaches]]
* [[City of Parramatta Council|Parramatta]]
* [[City of Penrith|Penrith]]
* [[City of Randwick|Randwick]]
* [[City of Ryde|Ryde]]
* [[Municipality of Strathfield|Strathfield]]
* [[Sutherland Shire|Sutherland]]
* [[City of Sydney|Sydney]]
* [[Waverley Council|Waverley]]
* [[City of Willoughby|Willoughby]]
* [[Wollondilly Shire Council|Wollondilly]]
* [[Municipality of Woollahra|Woollahra]]
{{div col end}}
[[File:Government House, Sydney, Australia.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Government House, Sydney|Government House]] is the official residence of the [[Governor of New South Wales]]]]
Sydney is the location of the secondary official residences of the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]] and [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] – [[Admiralty House, Sydney|Admiralty House]] and [[Kirribilli House]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/official-residences |title=Official Residences |publisher=[[Governor-General of Australia]] |access-date=1 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170530161014/http://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/official-residences |archive-date=30 May 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Parliament of New South Wales]] sits in [[Parliament House, Sydney|Parliament House]] on [[Macquarie Street, Sydney|Macquarie Street]]. This building was completed in 1816 and first served as a hospital. The Legislative Council moved into its northern wing in 1829 and by 1852 had entirely supplanted the surgeons from their quarters.<ref name="Governor Lachlan Macquarie">{{cite web |date=2014 |title=Governor Lachlan Macquarie |url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/key/HistoryGovernorLachlanMacquarie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912191250/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/key/HistoryGovernorLachlanMacquarie |archive-date=12 September 2014 |access-date=17 August 2014 |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales}}</ref> Several additions have been made as the Parliament has expanded, but it retains its original [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] façade.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ellmoos |first=Laila |date=2008 |url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/parliament_house |title=Parliament House |publisher=Dictionary of Sydney |access-date=9 August 2014}}</ref> [[Government House, Sydney|Government House]] was completed in 1845 and has served as the home of 25 Governors and 5 Governors-General.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Sydney Living Museums |date=2014 |url=http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/behold-palace |title=Behold a palace |access-date=23 August 2014 |archive-date=1 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701172133/http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/behold-palace |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Cabinet of Australia]] also [[Commonwealth Parliament Offices, Sydney|meets]] in Sydney when needed.

The highest court in the state is the Supreme Court of New South Wales, located in Queen's Square.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Supreme Court of New South Wales |date=2014 |url=http://www.supremecourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/supremecourt/SCO2_court_locations.html |title=Court locations |access-date=17 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141125221814/http://www.supremecourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/supremecourt/SCO2_court_locations.html |archive-date=25 November 2014}}</ref> The city is also the home of numerous branches of the intermediate [[District Court of New South Wales]] and the lower [[Local Court of New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=New South Wales Courts |date=2014 |url=http://nswcourts.com.au/courts/ |title=Find a court |access-date=17 August 2014}}</ref>

In the past, the state has tended to resist amalgamating Sydney's more populated local government areas as merged councils could pose a threat to its governmental power.<ref>{{cite book |last=Golder |first=Hilary |year=2004 |title=Sacked: removing and remaking the Sydney City Council}}</ref> Established in 1842, the City of Sydney is one such local government area and includes the CBD and some adjoining inner suburbs.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=City of Sydney |date=2005 |url=http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/documents/history/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050709222141/http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/documents/history/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf |archive-date=9 July 2005 |title=History of Sydney City Council |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref> It is responsible for fostering development in the local area, providing local services (waste collection and recycling, libraries, parks, sporting facilities), promoting the interests of residents, supporting organisations that target the local community, and attracting and providing infrastructure for commerce, tourism, and industry.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=City of Sydney |date=2014 |url=http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/about-council |title=About Council |access-date=17 August 2014}}</ref> The City of Sydney is led by an elected Council and [[Lord Mayor of Sydney|Lord Mayor]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=State Records |date=2014 |url=http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5COrganisation%5C21 |title=Organisation detail |access-date=12 October 2014}}</ref>

In federal politics, Sydney was initially considered as a [[History of the Australian Capital Territory#Search for a capital city location|possibility for Australia's capital city]]; the newly created city of [[Canberra]] ultimately filled this role.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Australian History |editor1-last=Davison |editor1-first=Graeme |editor2-last=Hirst |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Macintyre |editor3-first=Stuart |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=464–465, 662–663 |isbn=9780195535976}}</ref> Seven Australian [[List of Australian Prime Ministers by state#Birth places|Prime Ministers have been born in]] Sydney, more than any other city, including first Prime Minister [[Edmund Barton]] and current Prime Minister [[Anthony Albanese]].

Essential public emergency services are provided and managed by the State Government. Greater Sydney is served by:
* [[New South Wales Police Force]]
* [[New South Wales Ambulance]]
* [[Fire and Rescue NSW]]