Does the electorate of Murray Darling need to be made bigger?

SUBMISSIONS CALLED ON THE NSW ELECTORAL REDISTRIBUTION

The NSW Electoral Commission is set to conduct a redistribution of Electoral districts, John Williams The Nationals Member for Murray-Darling said.

Key dates for the 2013 Redistribution are as follows:

  • Monday 4 February 2013 – Opening of suggestions and Public hearing in Sydney
  • Wednesday 6 March 2013 – Deadline for suggestions
  • Wednesday 20 March 2013 – Deadline for comments on suggestions.

'The Redistribution process is governed by legislation and in NSW takes place after every two State elections or if more than one quarter of electoral districts differ from the average voters by more or less than 5% for more than two months. Redistributions cannot commence later than one year prior to the next general election (which will be held in March 2015) when the new boundaries from this distribution process will come into effect,' Mr Williams said.

The Commissioners who have been appointed to carry out the Redistribution are:

  • The Hon. Keith Mason, AC QC is the Chairperson,
  • Mr Des Mooney – Surveyor General, and;
  • Mr Colin Barry – NSW Electoral Commissioner.

Mr Williams said Redistributions are done to ensure all electorates have a similar number of voters, no matter the geographical area they may be drawn from.

'The Murray-Darling Electorate already covers 30% of the State and with declining population; there is a likelihood that the Electorate could increase.

'Consequently, rural electorates such as the Murray-Darling, become larger and the city electorates smaller, meaning rural people receive less representation as they are not always able to access their Member of Parliament suitably.

'I encourage people from Murray-Darling to send their submissions to the Commissioners to ensure their views are known,' Mr Williams said.

Submissions can be sent to:
Electoral Districts Commissioners' Secretariat
Level 25, 201 Kent Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000