By Stephen Linnell
WYNDHAM Council has welcomed a Victorian Electoral Commission backflip that has delivered significant ward changes in the lead-up to this year’s council election.
The VEC’s sub-division review has resulted in boundary changes for the Truganina and Chaffey wards to better accommodate Wyndham’s growth.
Chaffey ward will now be extended north to Boundary Rd and the eastern boundary will be Morris Rd to Hogans Rd, Derrimut Rd to Sayers Rd and Tarneit Rd to Boundary Rd. These changes will reduce the area of Truganina ward.
The review follows a spike in the number of residents entitled to vote, particularly in the growing Truganina ward.
According to legislation, all wards must have equal voter representation within a 10 per cent tolerance.
The review was undertaken after the VEC found that by the time of the next November’s election, Truganina was projected to deviate by almost 16 per cent.
Wyndham mayor Kim McAliney said that with the new boundaries, each ward had a mix of established and growth areas that allowed for future growth.
“It’s pleasing to see that a compromise between the Wyndham Council proposal and the VEC’s initial proposal could be reached,” Cr McAliney said.
“These boundary changes will mean fairer representation for Wyndham residents and will result in a more equal workload for councillors.”
The final recommended boundaries differered significantly from the option proposed in the VEC’s preliminary report.
Wyndham Council slammed the original proposal, claiming it was inequitable and would trigger further boundary changes next year.
The VEC report has been sent to the Minister for Local Government, Richard Wynne. If accepted, the new boundaries will be in effect for the November local council elections.
“In preparing its final report, the VEC considered a range of information including submissions made in response to its proposed ward boundaries report, and statements made at a public hearing on Tuesday 15 April, ” Electoral Commissioner Steve Tully said.
“The recommended new ward boundaries have been designed to allow the ‘one vote, one value’ principle to apply at the November local council elections.”
A subdivision review does not allow for changes to the number of councillors, voting method or ward names.
