The municipality was established on 27 March 1874. The council chambers are located on Conder Street and were designed and built by architect Jack Hennessy in 1877. Hennessy was later a mayor of Burwood.[4]
In May 2016, Strathfield Council challenged the proposed merger and commenced proceedings in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court. After the court heard that there were legal flaws in the report from the state government-appointed delegate who examined the proposal for merging the councils, the NSW Government withdrew from the case and the merger proposal stalled.[6] In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay local government areas, along with several other proposed forced mergers.[7]
Suburbs in the local government area
The following suburbs within the Municipality of Burwood are:
At the 2021 census, there were 40,217 people in the Burwood local government area, of these, 48.9 per cent were male and 51.1 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in the Municipality of Burwood was 34 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 4.2 per cent of the population and people aged 85 years and over made up 2.9 per cent of the population. The largest age group was 20-24 (12.4 per cent). Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 43.7 per cent were married and 9.4 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]
Population growth in the Municipality of Burwood between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 5.26 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 4.84 per cent. At the 2016 census, the population in the Municipality increased by 13.53 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in Burwood local government area was significantly higher than the national average.[8][9] The median weekly income for residents within the Municipality of Burwood of was generally on par with the national average.[3]
At the 2021 census, the proportion of residents in Burwood local government area who stated their ancestry as Chinese was 6 times the national average; and the proportion of households where an Asian language was spoken at home was only slightly higher than the national average (1.4 times).[1]
Selected historical census data for Burwood local government area
Burwood Council comprises seven councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. Since 2012, the mayor has been directly elected, while the six other councillors are elected proportionally as one ward. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, was as follows:[11]
1. John Faker 2. George Mannah (elected 1) 3. Pascale Esber (elected 3) 4. Alex Yang (elected 5) 5. Sukirti Bhatta (elected 6) 6. Chris Gray 7. Victoria Holland
Burwood Council introduced in September 2019 a new logo designed to reflect the changes which have made it a vibrant and multicultural destination while retaining its heritage. The new logo design, based on the letter 'B', is divided into six parts for the suburbs of the area: Burwood, Burwood Heights, Croydon, Croydon Park, Enfield and Strathfield. Residents' priorities are represented by the colour scheme: harmony and friendship (pink), trust and stability (light blue), creativity and vibrancy (orange), heritage and heart (red), the natural environment (green) and energy and optimism (yellow). Traditional typeface has been used in keeping with the commitment to heritage.[32]
The previous 'Municipality of Burwood' logo was designed in 1936.[33]
