Public hearing to be held on objections to the ACT redistribution of electoral boundaries

Published 23 Aug 2011

A public hearing to consider objections to the proposed ACT Legislative Assembly electoral boundaries will be held on Wednesday 31 August 2011 by the Augmented ACT Electoral Commission.

Eighty-two objections to the proposed redistribution of the ACT Legislative Assembly’s electoral boundaries are available for public viewing.

The Augmented ACT Electoral Commission published a proposed redistribution of the ACT into three electorates on 8 July 2011 and invited objections to the proposal by 5 August 2011.  The Augmented Electoral Commission proposed that Ginninderra be made the 7-Member electorate, consisting of Belconnen, Gungahlin and Hall and the Canberra Central suburbs of Lyneham, O’Connor and Turner.  No alterations were proposed to the existing Brindabella electorate.  Molonglo would become a 5-Member electorate and would include all of the district of Molonglo Valley.

Of the 82 submissions received, 18 supported the proposal of the Augmented Electoral Commission; 58 opposed the proposal; and another 6 put forward an alternate proposal.

The objections are available for public inspection at the ACT Electoral Commission office at North Building, Civic Square, London Circuit, Civic, and from its website at www.elections.act.gov.au .

The public hearing will be held at the Reception Room of the ACT Legislative Assembly, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra City on Wednesday 31 August 2011 commencing at 3.00 pm and concluding at 5.00 pm.  Media representatives are welcome.

At the public hearing, submissions to the Augmented Commission may only be made—

 (a)        by or on behalf of a person who made—

 (i)          an objection to the Augmented ACT Electoral Commission’s proposal; or

(ii)         an objection to the Redistribution Committee’s proposal; or

(iii)        a suggestion about the electoral boundaries given to the Redistribution Committee; or

 (b)    by a person making a submission in relation to an objection.

Details regarding the public hearing are being published in the Canberra Times on Tuesday 23 August 2011.

More information regarding the redistribution process, including copies of suggestions and objections, current enrolment numbers, future enrolment projections, maps of existing boundaries and the Redistribution Committee’s proposed boundaries may be obtained from the ACT Electoral Commission’s office at North Building, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra City, or by visiting the Commission’s website at:  www.elections.act.gov.au.

The Augmented Electoral Commission for the Australian Capital Territory consists of the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson, Roger Beale AO, the Electoral Commissioner, Phillip Green; the Electoral Commission’s Member, Dawn Casey, the Chief Planning Executive, ACT Planning and Land Authority, David Papps, the ACT Surveyor-General, Bill Hirst and the Regional Director, ACT Office, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Stephen Collett.