The City of Onkaparinga () is a local government area (LGA) located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from Ngangkiparinga, a Kaurna word meaning women's river. It is the largest LGA in South Australia, with a population of over 170,000 people in both urban and rural communities and is also geographically expansive, encompassing an area of 518.3 km2. The council is headquartered in the Noarlunga Centre with area offices situated in Aberfoyle Park, Woodcroft and Willunga.

History The council was formed on 1 July 1997 as the City of Happy Valley, Noarlunga and Willunga from the amalgamation of the former City of Happy Valley and City of Noarlunga with part of the District Council of Willunga. It adopted the City of Onkaparinga name from 22 December 1997.

Mayors 1997–2006: Ray Gilbert 2006–2018: Lorraine Rosenberg 2018–2022: Erin Thompson 2022 (acting): Simon McMahon 2022–present: Moira Were

Culture The South Australian Writers' Centre and the City of Onkaparinga co-hosted the biennial South Australian Writers' Festival (2001–2011), renamed the South Australian Readers' and Writers' Festival from 2013 to 2015.

Demographics Selected historical census data for Onkaparinga local government areaCensus year 2001200620112016Population Estimated residents on census night LGA rank in terms of size within South Australia 1  1  1% of South Australia population 9.81%  9.54%  10.00%  9.95%% of Australian population 0.76%  0.73%  0.74%  0.71%Cultural and language diversity Ancestry,top responses English 35.4%  34.9%Australian 28.9%  27.4%Scottish 6.8%  7.0%Irish 5.8%  6.3%German 5.3%  5.3%Language,top responses(other than English) Polish0.7%  0.5%  0.4%  0.4%German0.7%  0.6%  0.5%  0.5%Italian0.6%  0.5%  0.5%  0.4%Greek0.5%  0.5%  0.4%  0.4%Dutch0.43%  0.3% Arabic 0.3% Mandarin 0.5%Religious affiliation Religious affiliation,top responses No religion25.5%  29.6%  34.5%  43.1%Anglican17.6%  15.9%  15.0%  11.6%Catholic16.2%  15.6%  15.5%  13.9%Uniting10.3%  9.2%  8.4%  6.5%Lutheran3.1%  3.0% Median weekly incomes Personal income Median weekly personal income 439 542 593% of Australian median income 98.4% 93.9% 95.3%Family income Median weekly family income 1088 1311 1448% of Australian median income 92.9% 88.5% 83.5%Household income Median weekly household income 922 1080 1194% of Australian median income 89.8% 87.5% 83.0%

Governance

The council meets at the chambers in Noarlunga Centre on Hannah Road once a month on a Tuesday at 6.30pm.

The City of Onkaparinga has 13 elected members (including the mayor). The city is divided into six electoral wards, with two councillors representing each. The mayor is elected at large by all electors.

The current council was elected in 2022 for a four-year term.

Ward Party Councillor Notes Mayor Labor Moira Were AM Knox Independent Cr Heidi Greaves Cr Colt StaffordMid Coast Cr Dan Platten (Deputy Mayor) Cr Gretel WilkesPimpala Cr Kim Davis Cr Michael FisherSouth Coast Cr Lauren Jew Cr Paul YeomansSouthern Vales Coast Labor Cr Marisa Bell Independent Cr Jordan PritchardThalassa Cr Geoff Eaton  Liberal Cr Marion Themeliotis

Suburbs

That is, postcodes 5047, 5051, 5153, and 5157–74 (inclusive).

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City is reserved for military units which have, through their command, a significant attachment to the City of Onkaparinga. Freedom of the City is the highest honour the City can confer on a military unit.

Recipients Three military units have been awarded Freedom of the City: 1998 - 40th Regional Cadet Unit Noarlunga 2004 - Squadron 605 Australian Air Force Cadets and Australian Navy Cadets TS Noarlunga 2016 - 619 Squadron, Australian Air Force Cadets

Key to the City The Key to the City recognises exceptional, outstanding achievement and is Council’s most prestigious award. The award acknowledges the outstanding contribution of an individual or organisation in furthering the ideals of the city or to recognise outstanding achievement.

Recipients 1998 - Dr Andrew "Andy" Sydney Withiel Thomas AO 2006 - Mayor Ray Gilbert OAM JP & Edith Gilbert JP 2019 - Richard "Richie" Julian Porte

See also Local Government Areas of South Australia List of Adelaide suburbs List of Adelaide parks and gardens

References

External links City of Onkaparinga Onkaparinga community snapshot