Shires in Australia "Shire" is the most common word in Australia for rural local government areas (LGAs). New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, use the term "shire" for this unit; the territories of the Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are also shires. In contrast, South Australia uses district and region for its rural LGA units, while Tasmania uses municipality. Shires are generally functionally indistinguishable from towns, boroughs, municipalities, or cities.
Shires in Australia "Shire" is the most common word in Australia for rural local government areas (LGAs). New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, use the term "shire" for this unit; the territories of the Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are also shires In contrast, South Australia uses district and region for its rural LGA units, while Tasmania uses municipality. Shires are generally functionally indistinguishable from towns, boroughs, municipalities, or cities.