Geelong Regional Commission

Full description

The Geelong Regional Commission was established in 1977 under the Geelong Regional Commission Act 1977. It came into operation on 1 August 1977 (with the first meeting held 12 August 1977) as the successor to the Geelong Regional Planning Authority (VA 2830). It's creation gave effect to the State Government's decentralisation policies and, in particular, Statement of Planning Policy No.7 (Geelong), which received Governor-in-Council approval in August 1973.

Under the Act, the Commission was responsible to the Minister for State Development and Decentralisation (VRG 51) except in respect of the Commission's statutory planning functions under the Town and Country Planning Act for which it was responsible to the Minister for Planning (VRG 65).

The Commission consists of fourteen members, five appointed by the Governor-in-Council and one appointed from each municipality in the Geelong area, namely the:
City of Geelong
City of Geelong West
City of Newtown
City of South Barwon
Borough of Queenscliffe
Shire of Bannockburn
Shire of Barrabool
Shire of Bellarine
Shire of Corio.

Following the proclamation of the City of Greater Geelong Act 1993 (No. 16/1993) on 18 May 1993 the Geelong Regional Commission was abolished.

The City of Greater Geelong was constituted under Part 2 of the Act; the boundaries of the city were described in Schedule 1 (of the Act). The Greater Geelong City Council was the successor in law of the former councils subsumed in its creation. Commissioners were to be appointed under Section 7 of the Act.

Under Part 3 of the Act, the boundaries of the Shire of Bannockburn were fixed and described in Schedule 2.

Under Part 4 of the Act, the boundaries of the Shire of Barrabool were fixed and described in Schedule 3.

The Act includes a section (Section 23) to enable the implementation of plans devised under the Geelong Regional Planning Scheme. Each of the municipal districts of the Greater Geelong City Council, the Shire of Bannockburn, the Borough of Queenscliffe, and the Barrabool Shire Council were to become a planning authority in relation to the planning scheme applying in its municipal district.