New South Wales – Government
Since 1901, New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship.
The form of the Government of New South Wales is similar to other “Westminster” (English-style) systems in Australia. A State Parliament composed of the Sovereign and two houses: the Legislative Assembly (lower house), and the Legislative Council (upper house). Elections are held every four years. The actual governor is Professor Marie Bashir, the first woman to be appointed that took up her office on 1 March 2001.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/key/ResourcesSystem.
The state government classifies local governments into two categories: Cities and Areas, there being little significant difference between the two. City is simply an area receiving a proclamation of city status by the governor while areas often retain the designations they held under pre-reform legislation, though these titles no longer indicate a legal status. These are:
Municipalities (predominantly inner-city suburban areas and smaller rural towns)
Shires (predominantly rural or outer suburban areas).
The title Region, usually large rural areas dominated by a rural city. Many councils now choose not to use any title, and simply refer to themselves as councils. Councils are the local main govermental structures.
Look at full listings of councils and descriptions in NSW Council Directory: http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_regions.asp?regiontype=0
For further information check New South Wales Government web: http://www.nsw.gov.au/
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