Local government in the Bundaberg area began on 11 November 1879 with the creation of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. These included the Barolin, Burrum and Kolan divisions.[3][4]
The first eight years saw several areas break away and become self-governing due to increases in local population. The first was Bundaberg itself, which with an area of 4.1 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi) and a population of 1,192, split from Barolin on 22 April 1881 to form the Municipality of Bundaberg under the Local Government Act 1878. Areas to the south (Woongarra) and north (Gooburrum) of the Burnett River split from Kolan on 31 December 1885, and Barolin on 30 January 1886 respectively, while on 1 January 1887, the Isis Division further to the south split away from Burrum.[5] Thus by 1887, the Municipality of Bundaberg and the Barolin, Gooburrum, Isis, Kolan and Woongarra Divisions covered the entire territory of what is now the Bundaberg Region.
On 31 March 1903, after the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, the Municipality became a Town while the Divisions became Shires. On 22 November 1913, Bundaberg was proclaimed a City.[6]
On 21 December 1917, the Shire of Barolin was abolished and its area split between the City of Bundaberg and the Shire of Woongarra.[7] Bundaberg grew to 45.2 square kilometres (17.5 sq mi) and was united with what was then its entire suburban extent.
On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Bundaberg area be rationalised. The Local Government (Bundaberg and Burnett) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the Shires of Gooburrum and Woongarra were abolished, with most transferred into a new Shire of Burnett. A portion of Woongarra was transferred to the City, more than doubling its area and increasing its population by 8,200 in 1991 census terms.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the City of Bundaberg merged with the Shires of Burnett, Isis and Kolan to form the Bundaberg Region.[8]
Divisions and councillors
Although the Commission recommended the council be undivided with ten councillors and a mayor, the gazetted form was that of 10 divisions each electing a single councillor, plus a mayor representing the whole region.
Those elected at the 2024 local government election were:[9]
