The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of 19.0 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi), and lies about 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the Perth central business district.
The City of Fremantle is named after Charles Fremantle, who in 1829 claimed for George IV "all that part of New Holland (Australia) which is not included within the territory of New South Wales".[2]: p11 [3] In 1848 a town trust was formed comprising a chairman and a committee of five. For the next twenty-three years they set about constructing roads and many public buildings with the use of convict labour. By 1870 the population of Fremantle had reached 3,796 and it was a moderately flourishing town, resulting in a move among the colonists to secure greater control of the management of their affairs.
The Municipality of Fremantle was formed on 21 February 1871, with the new council having a chairman and nine councillors.[4] Two of the major achievements of the town council were a reliable supply of pure water and a more efficient system of sanitation. By 1928 Fremantle had a population of 22,340 and an annual revenue of £73,354 – enough to warrant a claim for city status. The City of Fremantle assumed its current name when city status was conferred upon Fremantle on 3 June 1929 as a Centenary of Western Australia honour.[5][6]
North Fremantle, originally part of Fremantle, broke away in October 1895 to become an independent municipality. The first mayor of North Fremantle was Daniel Keen Congdon.[7] The two municipalities were reunited by an order of the Governor in Executive Council as from 1 November 1961.[8]
The City is divided into six wards, each electing two councillors. Each councillor serves a four-year term, and half-elections are held every two years. The mayor is directly elected.
The economy of the city is highly stable and diversified with various local businesses trading successfully in the vicinity. The key industries include port and shipping, regional and state government services, hospital and community services, tourism, education, retail, etc. In 2014, over 4,472 registered businesses were operating in the city and the size of the workforce in the city centre had reached 8,849 in 2011.[21]
^"The Western Australian Year Book No. 17". Western Australian Year Book (17). Australian Bureau of Statistics, Western Australian Office. 1979. ISSN0083-8772.
^* This LGA holds city status under the Local Government Act 1995, ^† This LGA holds town status under the Local Government Act 1995, ^# Western Australian law applies to the Indian Ocean Territories under the Territories Law Reform Act 1992
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