The definition of a city in Australia varies between the states. State capital cities may include multiple local government areas (LGAs) within their boundaries and these LGAs may be cities in their own right. Cities listed below are those as defined by the states in which they are located. Also included are former cities that have lost city status due to LGA amalgamations or other factors.

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Since 1993, only local government areas in New South Wales can be declared as "cities" by the Government, under the Local Government Act 1993. Although the present version of the Act specifies no criteria for city status, a previous version of the Act specified that to be a city, a Council area must: New South Wales, therefore, has two types of "city": cities that are acknowledged on the register of the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales, and local government areas that have been proclaimed as cities but are not acknowledged on the Geographical Names Register.

Cities acknowledged on the NSW Geographical Names Register

• Sydney (state capital) • Albury • Armidale • Bathurst • Blue Mountains • Broken Hill • Campbelltown • Cessnock • Dubbo • Gosford • Goulburn • Grafton • Lithgow • Lismore • Liverpool • Newcastle • Orange • Parramatta • Penrith • Queanbeyan • Tamworth • Wagga Wagga • Wollongong

Cities not acknowledged on the NSW Geographical Names Register

This list includes local government areas inside the Sydney metropolitan area but excludes cities also acknowledged on the Geographical Names Register: • City of Blacktown • City of Canada Bay • City of Coffs Harbour • City of Fairfield • City of Griffith • City of Hawkesbury • City of Lake Macquarie • City of Lismore • City of Maitland • City of Randwick • City of Ryde • City of Shellharbour • City of Shoalhaven • City of Willoughby Former local government areas that were accorded city status (however since amalgamated) include: • City of Bankstown (1980) • City of Botany Bay (1995) • City of Canterbury (1990) • City of Dubbo (1966) • City of Gosford (1979) • City of Greater Taree (1980) • City of Holroyd (1990) • City of Hurstville (1988) • City of Queanbeyan (1972) • City of Rockdale (1995)

Northern Territory

Queensland

• Brisbane (state capital) • Bundaberg • Cairns • Caloundra • Gladstone • Gold Coast • Gympie • Hervey Bay • Ipswich • Logan City • Mackay • Maryborough • Mount Isa • Rockhampton • Sunshine Coast • Toowoomba • Townsville Other towns or suburban areas whose local government was accorded city status (including those since amalgamated) include:

South Australia

• Adelaide (state capital) • Mount Barker • Mount Gambier • Murray Bridge • Port Adelaide • Port Augusta • Port Pirie • Port Lincoln • Victor Harbor • Whyalla

Tasmania

Victoria

• Melbourne (state capital) • Ararat • Bairnsdale • Benalla • Ballarat • Bendigo • Dandenong • Frankston • Geelong • Hamilton • Horsham • Latrobe City • Melton • Mildura • Sale • Shepparton • Swan Hill • Wangaratta • Warrnambool • Wodonga

Western Australia

• Perth (state capital) • Albany • Bunbury • Busselton • Fremantle • Geraldton • Joondalup • Kalgoorlie • Karratha • Mandurah • Rockingham Local government areas with city status not listed above, all of which lie within Perth's metropolitan area, include: • City of Armadale • City of Bayswater • City of Canning • City of Cockburn • City of Gosnells • City of Kalamunda • City of Kwinana • City of Melville • City of Nedlands • City of South Perth • City of Stirling • City of Subiaco • City of Swan • City of Wanneroo