The Shire of Morawa is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about 170 kilometres (106 mi) east-southeast of the city of Geraldton and about 390 kilometres (242 mi) north of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 3,516 square kilometres (1,358 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Morawa.
History
The Shire of Morawa originated as the Morawa Road District, established on 27 April 1928 when the Perenjori-Morawa Road District (which had separated from the Upper Irwin Road District in 1916), split into separate Morawa and Perenjori road districts.[2]
On 1 July 1961, Morawa became a shire following the passage of the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.[2]
On 18 September 2009, the Shires of Mingenew, Three Springs, Morawa and Perenjori announced their intention to amalgamate. A formal agreement was signed five days later, and the name Billeranga was later chosen.[3] However, by February 2011, community pressure had led to the negotiations stalling, and on 16 April 2011, voters from the Shire of Perenjori defeated the proposal at a referendum.[4][5]
Wards
The Shire is no longer divided into wards and the seven councillors sit at large. Prior to the 1997 election, the Shire was divided into wards:
^* 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
.jpg)
