considered in the 1970s, but 1977 plebiscites run in Hurstville and Kogarah rejected the idea. A further idea of amalgamating Kogarah and Hurstville with Sutherland Shire to the south was raised in 1999 but did not progress. A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that Hurstville merge with the City of Kogarah to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately 147,000. On 12 May 2016 the NSW Government announced that Hurstville and Kogarah would merge to form the Georges River Council, with immediate effect. Suburbs and localities in the former local government area Suburbs in the Hurstville City Council area were: The following unofficial localities were also located within Hurstville: Demographics At the 2011 Census, there were people in the Hurstville local government area, of these 48.5% were male and 51.5% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.6% of the population. The median age of people in the City was 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.7% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 53.4% were married and 9.2% were either divorced or separated. Population growth in Hurstville City Council between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 5.31%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 6.96%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Hurstville local government area was marginally lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City was generally on par with the national average. Council Final composition and election method Hurstville City Council was composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each ward electing four Councillors. All Councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected annually by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council in September. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the final makeup of the Council in the term 2012–2016, in order of election by ward, was as follows: Mayors Coat of arms Hurstville City Council adopted the current coat of arms as part of the Council’s centenary