The City of Penrith is a local government area in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The seat of the city is located in Penrith, located within Sydney about west of Sydney central business district. It occupies part of the traditional lands of the Darug people. First incorporated as a municipality on 12 May 1871, on 1 January 1949, the municipalities of Penrith, St Marys and Castlereagh and part of the Nepean Shire amalgamated to form a new Municipality of Penrith. Penrith was declared a City on 21 October 1959, and expanded westwards to include Emu Plains and Emu Heights, formerly part of the City of Blue Mountains, on 25 October 1963. As of the the City of Penrith had an estimated population of 217,664. It is a member council of the Hawkesbury River County Council.
The mayor of the City of Penrith is Todd Carney, a member of the Labor Party (no relation to the NRL player).
Suburbs and localities in the local government area The following suburbs and localities are located within the City of Penrith:
Council history
The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the . On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893 and 9 September 1895, Mulgoa and Castlereagh followed respectively. In 1913, Mulgoa became the "A" Riding of the neighbouring Nepean Shire.
On 1 January 1949, under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, the Municipalities of Penrith, St Marys and Castlereagh and A Riding of the Nepean Shire amalgamated to form a new Municipality of Penrith. It was declared a City on 21 October 1959, and expanded westwards to include Emu Plains and Emu Heights, formerly part of the City of Blue Mountains, on 25 October 1963.
Demographics
At the 2021 census, there were 217,644 people in the Penrith local government area, of these 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5% of the population; notably above the national average of 3.4%. The median age of people in the City of Penrith was 35 years; notably below the national median of 39 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.2% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 12.9% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 45.5% were married and 12.3% were either divorced or separated.
Population growth in the City of Penrith between the 2001 Census and the was 0.15% and in the subsequent five years to the , population growth was 3.68%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Penrith local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Penrith was on with par with the national average.
At the , the proportion of residents in the Penrith local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 63.5% of all residents (national average was 58.4%). In excess of 28.7% of all residents in the City of Penrith area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the , which was fairly higher than the national average of 20%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Penrith local government area had a marginally lower than average proportion (23.9%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 24.8%); and a higher proportion (74.2%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72%).
Selected historical census data for Penrith local government areaCensus year 20012006201120162021Population Estimated residents on census night 217,644LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 7th 8th13th9th% of New South Wales population 2.58%2.63%2.67%% of Australian population 0.92% 0.87% 0.83%0.84%0.85%Cultural and language diversity Ancestry,top responses Australian 29.1%26.3%33.3%English 25.2%24.5%30.2%Irish 6.8%7.2%8.2%Scottish 5.3%5.5%6.7%Maltese 3.0%2.8%Language,top responses(other than English) Arabic1.3% 1.5% 1.6%1.6%1.8%Tagalog1.3% 0.8% 1.0%1.1%1.2%Italian 1.0% 0.9% 0.8%0.9%Maltese0.8% 0.8% 0.8%0.7%Hindi0.6% 0.7% 0.8%0.9%1.1%Religious affiliation Religious affiliation,top responses Catholic34.5% 34.9% 35.2%32.1%28.7%Anglican26.1% 24.7% 23.6%18.4%13.1%No religion9.8% 11.9% 14.0%21.1%28.9%Presbyterian and Reformed3.4% 3.1% 2.9%Uniting Church3.7% 3.1% 2.7%Median weekly incomes Personal income Median weekly personal income A$517 A$623A$728A$866% of Australian median income 110.9% 108.0%109.6%106.52%Family income Median weekly family income A$1,147 A$1,582A$1,858A$2188% of Australian median income 111.7% 106.8%107.1%100.14%Household income Median weekly household income A$1,285 A$1,398A$1,658A$1903% of Australian median income 109.7% 113.3%111.5%104.05%
Council
Penrith City Council is composed of fifteen councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing five councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council for a two-year term, while the deputy mayor is elected for a single-year term only.
Current composition The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024. The Composition by ward is as follows:
WardCouncillorPartyNotesEast Ward2024 East Ward Election results NSW Electoral Commission (Published: 14 September 2024) (Accessed: 26 April 2025) Libby Austin Labor Todd Carney Labor Mayor 2023–Present; Deputy Mayor 2022–2023 Sarbjeet Kaur Labor Edwin Misfud Labor Garion Thain Labor North Ward2024 North Ward Election results NSW Electoral Commission (Published: 02 October 2024) (Accessed: 26 April 2025) John Thain Labor Mayor 2005–2006, 2016–2018; Deputy Mayor 2004–2005 Robin Cook Labor Ross Fowler Liberal Mayor 1995–1996, 2013–2015, 2018–2020; Deputy Mayor 2015–2016, 2024—Present Reece Nuttall Liberal Glenn Gardiner IndependentSouth WardSouth Ward Election results NSW Electoral Commission (Published: 02 October 2024) (Accessed: 26 April 2025) Hollie Mclean Labor Kirstie Boerst Labor Vanessa Pollak Libertarian Sue Day Independent Faithe Skinner Independent
Election methods TermAldermen/CouncillorsWardsMayor 1871–1891 9 No wards Annual election by Aldermen 1891–1893 12 1893–1948 9 1949–1950 24 Ward One (9, Penrith)Ward Two (9, St Marys)Ward Three (3, Nepean)Ward Four (3, Castlereagh) 1950–1959 12 (3 per ward) Ward OneWard TwoWard ThreeWard Four 1959–1963 13 (3 per ward: 12 Aldermen, 1 Mayor) Direct triennial election 1963–1968 13 (4 per ward: 12 Aldermen, 1 Mayor) North WardSouth WardEast Ward 1968–1987 12 (4 per ward) Annual election by Aldermen/Councillors 1987–date 15 (5 per ward)
Election results 2024
2021
Mayors MayorPartyTermNotes Patros Athanas Tornaros Labor 1 January 1949 – 5 December 1949 Bill Chapman Independent 5 December 1949 – 11 December 1956 Bernard Noel Fowler Independent 11 December 1956 – 11 December 1957 Leo Joseph Spies Labor 11 December 1957 – 19 April 1961 Bill Chapman Independent 3 June 1961 – December 1968 Ron Mulock Labor December 1968 – September 1971 Brian King Independent September 1971 – September 1974 Eileen Cammack Independent September 1974 – September 1977 Brian King Independent September 1977 – September 1985 Kevin Dwyer Independent September 1985 – September 1987 Rodney Field Independent September 1987 – September 1988 Kevin Dwyer Independent September 1988 – September 1989 Brian King Independent September 1989 – September 1990 Faye Lo Po' Labor September 1990 – September 1991 Tony Aquilina September 1991 – September 1992 Bill Gayed Independent September 1992 – September 1993 Diane Beamer Labor September 1993 – September 1994 Pat Sheehy September 1994 – September 1995 Ross Fowler Independent September 1995 – September 1996 Kevin Crameri Independent September 1996 – September 1997 Kevin Dwyer Independent September 1997 – September 1998 John Bateman Independent September 1998 – September 2000 David Bradbury Labor September 2000 – September 2001 Pat Sheehy September 2001 – September 2002 Greg Davies September 2002 – April 2004 David Bradbury April 2004 – September 2004 Jackie Greenow Independent September 2004 – September 2005 John Thain Labor September 2005 – September 2006 Pat Sheehy September 2006 – September 2007 Greg Davies September 2007 – September 2008 Jim Aitken Independent September 2008 – September 2009 Kevin Crameri Independent September 2009 – September 2011 Greg Davies Labor September 2011 – September 2012 Mark Davies Liberal September 2012 – 23 September 2013 Ross Fowler 23 September 2013 – September 2015 Karen McKeown Labor September 2015 – 26 September 2016 John Thain 26 September 2016 – 24 September 2018 Ross Fowler Liberal24 September 2018 – 28 September 2020 Karen McKeown Labor28 September 2020 – 13 January 2022 Tricia HitchenLiberal13 January 2022 – October 2023 Todd Carney LaborOctober 2023 – present
Media The City of Penrith is served by a weekly newspaper, The Western Weekender, which was founded in 1991. It produces a print edition each Friday as well as a digital news service. The newspaper is independently owned.
Waste management Non-putrescible waste generated within the City of Penrith is primarily disposed of at Elizabeth Drive Landfill in Kemps Creek, which is operated by Cleanaway. The Lucas Heights landfill or other transfer stations are used for Penrith's red-bin waste only in the event of access issues or other emergencies affecting Elizabeth Drive Landfill.
Sister cities Since it signed its first agreement with Fujieda, Japan in 1984, Penrith City has gradually expanded its sister cities and international links programme. Presently Penrith has links with:
Penrith, Cumbria, England – Sister City Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan – Sister City Hakusan City (incorporating Matto City), Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan – Friendship City Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China – Friendship City Xicheng District of Beijing City, China – Mutual Co-operation Agreement Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea – Mutual Co-operation Agreement
Heritage listings The City of Penrith has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Agnes Banks, Rickards Avenue: Agnes Bank Natural Area Castlereagh, Castlereagh Road: Upper Castlereagh Public School Emu Plains, Main Western railway: Emu Plains railway station Londonderry, 947–953 Londonderry Road: Fossil and Petrology collections, New South Wales Mulgoa, Fairlight Road: Fairlight Homestead Mulgoa, Mulgoa Road: Fernhill, Mulgoa Mulgoa, 754–760 Mulgoa Road: Glenmore, Mulgoa Mulgoa, St Thomas Road: St Thomas' Anglican Church, Mulgoa Mulgoa, 2 St Thomas Road: Cox's Cottage Penrith, 34–40 Borec Road: Craithes House Penrith, 26 Coombes Drive: Torin Building Penrith, Great Western railway: Penrith railway station, Sydney Penrith, Nepean River, Great Western Highway: Victoria Bridge (Penrith) Penrith, Off Bruce Neale Dr, Steel Trusses 1.3 km past station: Emu Plains Underbridge Penrith, 1 Museum Drive: Penrith Museum of Fire,Penrith Museum of Fire Retrieved 18 June 2009 including the following: Fire and Rescue NSW Heritage Fleet NSW Fire Brigades No 10 Vehicle Number Plates 1869 Shand Mason 7 inch Manual Fire Engine 1891 Shand Mason Fire Engine 1898 Shand Mason Curricle Ladders 1909 Edward Smith Headquarters Switchboard 1929 Ahrens Fox PS2 Fire Engine 1939 Dennis Big 6 Fire Engine 1942 Ford 21W Fire Brigade Mobile Canteen Regentville, 427 Mulgoa Road: Glenleigh Estate St Marys, Great Western Railway: St Marys railway station, Sydney St Marys, Mamre Road: Mamre, St Marys Werrington, Water Street: Rose Cottage and Early Slab Hut
References
External links Penrith City Council website