Mount Evelyn
5 Tuesday, 17 April, 2018
Multi-level car park
8
Mail 50-year milestone
A Mail News Group publication
29-30
Best in local sport
Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
Boundary wars By Peter Douglas, Derek Schlennstedt, Rowan Forster In what could prove an election-defining decision, the Australian Electoral Commission has announced a major shake-up of the Casey and La Trobe federal electorates. Under a draft proposal, released on Friday 6 April, the Casey electorate will shift further south-west and snap up La Trobe's hills-based communities, effectively aligning Casey's boundaries with the local government area of Yarra Ranges. While La Trobe will lose major townships including Belgrave, Upper Ferntree Gully and Lysterfield, incumbent MP Jason Wood will gain Pakenham and nearby satellite towns. The sweeping changes to electoral boundaries come with a federal election potentially only 12 months away. Traditionally, Casey is a safe Liberal stronghold, while La Trobe is marginal, with Jason Wood claiming a narrow victory from Labor's Simon Curtis in the 2016 election. Mr Wood, who grew up in hills area, reassured residents the changes would not affect his election promises. "In our Liberal Party submission, neither myself, nor the Liberal Party made an application that I lose the Dandenong Ranges ... Labor partly did, the Greens did, but I wasn't trying to get away from the hills," Mr Wood said. "To me, there's very much unfinished business on three projects I'm working on at the moment. "One is the Ridge Walk ... the other is the widening of the Mountain Highway ... I'm also right behind the performing arts centre in the Sherbrooke community school. "Those three big projects ... I want delivered." Mr Wood said until the redistribution draft is finalised, he would continue to work as if nothing had changed, though he has been in contact with Tony Smith. "With the redistribution, if it did end up going that way, I am working with Tony Smith, who would take those areas and who is very supportive of working with me on those three projects." Meanwhile, committee chair and electoral commissioner, Tom Rogers, said the redistribution of the McMillan and La Trobe electorates was required to allow space for Victoria's new seat, Fraser.
Casey MP Tony Smith will represent hills communities, under the proposed changes. 178408
La Trobe MP Jason Wood (right), pictured at a Belgrave Hub announcement, will no longer represent Belgrave. 173702 The La Trobe electorate is projected to have 116,587 voters by August next year, which exceeds the maximum number permitted by the Electoral Act. "The high population growth in Victoria, together with the dispersed spread of electors has resulted in the Redistribution Committee proposing significant change to Victoria's electoral division boundaries," he said. He said McMillan, too, was in danger from exceeding its maximum number of electors. "A number of consequential changes were made across the state to not only the numerical criteria but also align communities of in-
terest where possible," Mr Rogers said. Redrawn electoral boundaries have historically factored into election results, particularly when key towns and cities are removed. Russell Broadbent's capture of McMillan at the 2004 election is attributed by many to the boundary changes of January 2003, which saw traditionally Labor-voting cities Traralgon and Morwell removed from the seat. Meanwhile, in Victoria, a brand new federal electorate for western Melbourne, Fraser, is set to be established, taking the number of electorates from 37 to 38.
Anyone with an interest in these proposals can make a written submission to the Australian Electoral Commission at FedRedistribution-VIC@aec.gov.au by 6pm on Friday 4 May. All objections will be published on the AEC's website at www.aec.gov.au from Monday 7 March. Comments on objections can be lodged until 6pm on Friday 18 May and will also be published on the AEC website from Monday 21 May. A final determination of the boundaries and names of the electoral divisions will be published on Friday 13 July.
2o0w1t8 a k i n gs n olment enr
Mt Evelyn 4 Year Old Funded Kinder and Long Day Care
Call 9736 1918
Visit www.cire.org.au
12384947-SN17-18
Kinder Program