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Illawarra Shoalhaven

Who We Are

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation
(ISJO) consists of four member councils:

Our councils have a combined area of some 5,800 square kilometres and a population of approximately 404,000 people.

Joint Organisations (JOs) provide a way for local councils and the NSW Government to work together to deliver things that matter the most to regional communities.  They represent a commitment to collaborate in the long term to develop and support a shared vision for the region. 

Functions

Our core functions are:

Our optional functions:

The current Chairperson of the ISJO is Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM, Lord Mayor of the City of Wollongong.

History of the ISJO

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation came into being on 1 July 2018 following a three year period in which our region trialled, in pilot form, the Joint Organisation model.

Prior to 2015 local government in our region worked together under the umbrella of the Southern Councils Group.  The Southern Councils Group developed from the Illawarra Region of Councils (IROC) which began operation in 1985 and carried on until 2004.  An even earlier grouping of Councils, the Illawarra Regional Organisation (Region 11), commenced in 1975 and operated until 1979.

In all its various forms, local government cooperation in our region has had a common theme:  that of a voluntary collective of Local Government Authorities working together to promote and foster the sustainable development of our region by building on our unique and diverse economic, natural and cultural heritage.