A public hearing to consider objections to the proposed ACT Legislative Assembly electoral boundaries will be held on Friday 24 June 2011 by the Augmented ACT Electoral Commission.

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

The ACT Redistribution Committee published a proposed redistribution of the ACT into three electorates on 5 May 2011 and invited objections to the proposal by 2 June 2011.  The Redistribution Committee proposed transferring the Gungahlin suburbs of Crace and Palmerston from the electorate of Molonglo to the electorate of Ginninderra.

Nineteen of the public submissions objected to the proposal to transfer Crace and Palmerston.  Many of the submissions supported combining all of Gungahlin, all of Belconnen and parts of north Canberra into a 7-Member electorate, and transforming the current 7-Member electorate of Molonglo into a 5-Member electorate.

Other submissions were opposed to significantly altering the ACT’s electoral boundaries and supported the Redistribution Committee’s proposed changes.

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,CanberraCity on Friday 24 June 2011 commencing at 10:00 am and concluding at 12 noon.  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 Redistribution Committee’s proposal; or

(ii)          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 will be published in the Canberra Times on Saturday 18 June 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 theAustralian Capital Territoryconsists 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, Neil Savery, the ACT Surveyor-General, Bill Hirst and the Regional Director, ACT Office, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Stephen Collett.