Politics & Council
1 March, 2024
VCE takes minimalist approach to ward review
VICTORIAN Electoral Commission set out to have little change to Loddon Shire ward boundaries, according to the preliminary proposal released last Wednesday. The VEC also says there will be continued decline in the shire’s population despite...
VICTORIAN Electoral Commission set out to have little change to Loddon Shire ward boundaries, according to the preliminary proposal released last Wednesday.
The VEC also says there will be continued decline in the shire’s population despite official ABS Census figures showing an increase for the first time in 20 years.
The review panel that has recommended some parts of Bridgewater being moved from Inglewood to Tarnagulla Ward, said: “As the council population is relatively stable, there was no reason for large or disruptive changes to the existing structure. Further, as the two wards forecast to be outside of the +/-10% deviation range at the 2024 elections are adjacent, it was possible to make a neat transfer of voters from one ward to another without making changes to other wards. The panel believed the proposed change would minimise impacts to communities of interest, and affected voters were likely to have connections with Inglewood and Tarnagulla wards.
“The panel identified one potential drawback of the preliminary model. The adjusted ward boundary would run through the locality of Bridgewater, about 2km to the south of Bridgewater on Loddon. This may result in some voters with connections to Bridgewater on Loddon and Inglewood being included in a different ward to those townships. However, many of these residents may travel outside of the council area to Bendigo for many goods and services, and this division may have minimal impacts for those voters.”
The VEC said its ward boundary review also considered whether meaningful and effective ward boundaries could be established and whether these would be easily identifiable to local communities, the representation of communities of interest and the voter distribution and physical features of the area, and the impact these may have on the shape and size of wards.
The review report says Loddon has a higher average age than most other rural areas and a lower cultural diversity.
Submissions close on March 13 and a public hearing will only be held if at least one person asks to speak.