19th century Melbourne was founded in 1835, during the reign of
King William IV, following the arrival of the
schooner Enterprize near the present site of the Queen's Wharf. Unlike other Australian capital cities, Melbourne did not originate under official auspices, instead owing its origins to non-indigenous settlers from
Tasmania. Having been a province of New South Wales from its establishment in 1835, affairs of the settlement had been administered by the
Parliament of New South Wales. With the growth of the settlement there had been an increasing demand by the inhabitants for greater autonomy over their own affairs. On 12 August 1842, Melbourne was incorporated as a town by Act 6 Victoria No. 7 of the Governor and Legislative Council of New South Wales. The town of Melbourne was raised to the status of a city by
Letters Patent of
Queen Victoria dated 25 June 1847, five years after its incorporation as a town. The Letters Patent also constituted the
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and declared Melbourne a
cathedral city. A motion was tabled at a meeting of the Town Council to alter the style and title of Melbourne from a town to a city, a draft Bill was approved and transmitted to the Government for introduction to the Legislature. On 3 August 1849, Act 13 Victoria No. 14 was finally assented to as "An Act to effect a change in the Style and Title of the Corporation of Melbourne rendered necessary by the erection of the Town of Melbourne to a City". The city's initial boundaries, as set down in Act 8 Victoria No. 12 (19 December 1844) extended from Point Ormond in
Elwood up Barkly Street and
Punt Road to the
Yarra River, along the river to
Merri Creek at
Abbotsford, then west along Brunswick Road to Moonee Ponds Creek, then south past Flemington Bridge to
Princes Pier in
Port Melbourne. in 2008 Following a recommendation by the Local Government Advisory Board in 1978, an Order in Council (27 February 1979, effective from 19 May 1979) reduced the wards from eleven to eight. In December 1980, the
Hamer Government dismissed the council, and appointed three Commissioners to determine how the boundaries could best be altered to produce more effective local government, with special regard to Melbourne's central business district and its importance to the state, as well as to advise changes needed to the constitution, structure, functions and administration. However, in 1982, with the election of a new
Labor government under
John Cain, the Act establishing the commission was repealed, and the Melbourne Corporation (Election of Council) Act 1982 established six wards, for which an election was held on 4 December 1982. Three years later, an additional ward was added. In 2012, the number of Councillors was increased to nine, in addition to the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor. In 1999, local government control of the docks area on the west side of the city was given to the Victorian Government's Docklands Authority.
21st century In 2005, the council announced the construction of a new 6-star environmental office building,
Council House 2, in
Little Collins Street. On 2 July 2007, the suburb of Docklands was re-added to the City's jurisdiction. On 1 July 2008, a section of Kensington and North Melbourne was transferred to the City of Melbourne from the City of Moonee Valley. In July 2009, Lord Mayor
Robert Doyle unveiled a new corporate identity for the City of Melbourne, costing $239,558. Building on the council's longstanding interest in environmental issues, on 16 July 2019, the council voted to declare a
climate and biodiversity emergency in line with similar declarations made elsewhere. Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the City of Melbourne caused controversy and breached protocol, by failing to lower the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to half mast, whilst the Australian flag was lowered in mourning. ==Council==