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Boundary changes before election Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula residents can have a say on proposed ward boundary changes within Mornington Peninsula shire. The Victorian Electoral Commission is proposing reshaping the boundaries of Nepean, Cerberus and Red Hill wards. Under the proposed boundary changes, 4765 voters (3.11 per cent of the total) would be transferred to other wards to ensure that the number of voters represented by each councillor is within 10 per cent of the shire’s average – in time for this year’s local government elections in October. The VEC says Nepean Ward needs to be enlarged to boost its voter catchment and bring its enrolment back to within the 10 per cent tolerance. Accordingly, it proposes to transfer Tootgarook from Seawinds Ward to Nepean Ward. Other proposals are for the thinly populated south-eastern corner of Rye to be included in Nepean Ward – taking its enrolment above the average – and for the rural northern part of Balnarring to be transferred from Cerberus Ward to Red Hill Ward. Red Hill Ward’s enrolment is 8.74 per cent below the average and is tending to decline, so adding the balance of Balnarring to the ward would provide a cushion against its enrolment falling
below the 10 per cent tolerance. Hastings and Bittern-Crib Point are predicted to grow substantially. In contrast, rural populations in Flinders, Moorooduc and Red Hill, are forecast to decline slightly. In contrast, the VEC does not consider it necessary to change the boundaries of Briars Ward, where enrolment is 9.14 per cent above the average but is tending to decline from the 10 per cent threshold. The proposed boundaries would reduce Seawinds Ward’s enrolment to 7.97 per cent below the average, but the VEC says its enrolment is unlikely to fall below the 10 per cent tolerance. The proposed boundaries follow “geographic communities of interest”, the VEC says. Tootgarook has close links with both Rye to the west and Rosebud West to the east, and from a community of interest viewpoint could fit equally well in either Nepean or Seawinds Ward. Other proposed changes unite localities into the same ward, putting all of Rye in Nepean Ward and all of Balnarring in Red Hill Ward. “A subdivision review helps uphold the principle of ‘one vote, one value’ at the local government level,” electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said. The shire covers about 724 square kilometres, with 40 townships and localities spread across the peninsula. The population in 2014 was about 153,800 people. This was expected to increase by about 20,000 in the run-up
Line in the sand: A map of proposed ward boundary changes for Mornington Peninsula Shire.
to 2026 (or around 13.3 per cent). This rate of increase is significantly lower than for most other councils on the metropolitan fringe. The shire is demographically and socially diverse. The median age ranges from 21 at HMAS Cerberus to 56 at Flinders-Shoreham-Point Leo. Socio-economic indicators differ within the shire: for example, the proportion of managers and professionals varies between 11.4 per cent at HMAS Cerberus and 49.4 per cent in the Red
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Hill area. Levels of social disadvantage vary across the shire: from Rosebud West, with a socio-economic index of 898.9, to Mt Eliza, with 1105.9. The VEC report is available at vec. vic.gov.au or by calling 131 832. Copies are also available for inspection at Mornington Peninsula Shire offices. Submissions can be made online at vec.vic.gov.au or by email, post or fax. They must reach the commission by 5pm, Wednesday 9 March. A public hearing for those who have
requested to speak in support of their submission is scheduled for 7pm, Wednesday 16 March, at the Mornington Peninsula Shire Offices, 90 Besgrove St, Rosebud. The hearing will not be held if there are no requests to speak. A final report containing the commission’s recommendation to the local government minister will be released on Wednesday 6 April. If accepted, the new ward boundaries will take effect at the October council elections.
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Mornington News 23 February 2016
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