2011 Redistribution

Updated 6 Jan 2015

The Electoral Act 1992 requires a redistribution of electoral boundaries to be conducted before each general election for the ACT Legislative Assembly. For the 2012 election, the redistribution commenced on 25 January 2011 and concluded with the tabling of the final report in the Legislative Assembly on 27 October 2011.

More information about the redistribution process is on the Redistribution fact sheet.

The first step in the process is the appointment, by the ACT Electoral Commission, of a Redistribution Committee consisting of the Electoral Commissioner, the ACT Planning and Land Authority, the ACT Surveyor-General and a fourth member. On 25 January 2011 a Redistribution Committee was formed in preparation for the 2012 election, with the appointment of the ACT Regional Director of the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the fourth member.

Before the Redistribution Committee makes its proposal, any interested persons or organisations who wish to make suggestions regarding the redistribution are given 28 days to forward suggestions in writing to the Redistribution Committee.

Written suggestions and written comments on suggestions were invited on 10 February 2011 through a notice published on the ACT Legislation Register and in the Canberra Times, and closed on Thursday 10 March 2011.

Six suggestions were received:

The public suggestions were made available for public inspection from 11 March 2011 at the office of the ACT Electoral Commission and from this website. Any comments on the suggestions were due to be lodged in writing by 24 March 2011. No comments were received.

The Redistribution Committee considered the public suggestions before making the proposed redistribution. Maps showing the proposed boundaries and names of the electorates were published in the Canberra Times, exhibited at the office of the ACT Electoral Commission and on this website on 5 May 2011.

Following the publication of the first proposed redistribution there were 28 days within which initial objections to the proposed redistribution could be lodged by members of the public or organisations. Objections closed on 2 June 2011 and 22 official objections were received by the closing date. Some of the following objections have been edited for privacy reasons, to remove personal contact details.

Consolidated collection of 2011 objections to the Redistribution Committee's proposal (pdf - 1725 kb) (rtf - 506 kb)

The following submission was received after the closing date for objections specified in the Electoral Act. Accordingly it cannot be treated as an official objection. However, the Augmented Electoral Commission decided to publish this submission and to have regard to the submission at the public hearing.

The objections were considered by the Augmented Electoral Commission, which comprises the Chairperson of the ACT Electoral Commission and the other part-time Member of the Commission, sitting together with the members of the Redistribution Committee. The Augmented Electoral Commission held a public hearing into the objections on 24 June 2011.

After it considered all the initial objections lodged, the Augmented Electoral Commission made a second proposed redistribution published on the ACT Legislation Register and in the Canberra Times on 8 July 2011, outlining its decision to propose major changes to the electoral boundaries.

As the second proposal was significantly different from the proposal made by the Redistribution Committee, the Augmented Electoral Commission invited further objections from members of the public or organisations. Objections closed on 5 August 2011 and 82 official objections were received. Some of the following objections have been edited for privacy reasons, to remove personal contact details.

Consolidated collection of 2011 objections to the Augmented Electoral Commission's proposal (pdf - 15 mb) (rtf - 7 mb)

The following submission was received after the closing date for objections specified in the Electoral Act. Accordingly it cannot be treated as an official objection.

The Augmented Electoral Commission held a public hearing into the objections on 30 August 2011. After considering the objections, the Augmented ACT Electoral Commission decided to alter the existing electoral boundaries by adopting the Redistribution Committee's proposal to transfer the Gungahlin suburbs of Crace and Palmerston from the electorate of Molonglo to the electorate of Ginninderra. This change was made to ensure that each of the ACT's three electorates will be within 5% of the enrolment quota at the time of the 2012 election. The electorate of Brindabella was not changed.

Following the Augmented Electoral Commission's consideration of all objections, it made a final determination of boundaries. On 29 September 2011 an instrument setting out the Augmented ACT Electoral Commission's final determination was notified on the ACT Legislation Register. A formal report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 27 October 2011.