Halls Gap, Great Western and Stawell will return to the federal seat of Mallee in a proposal redistribution of electoral divisions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The three towns have been part of the federal electorate of Wannon, represented by the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan, since a decision by the Australia Electoral Commission in 2018.
However, after population projections for the division of Mallee revealed a 3.47 per cent drop, the AEC was forced to realign its boundaries in Victoria.
Federal Member for Mallee, Anne Webster, welcomed the proposed boundaries of the expanded federal electorate.
"The AEC have released their proposed boundaries for the electorate of Mallee, which will see Stawell, Halls Gap and Great Western come back into Mallee," Dr Webster said.
"Because of the proximity of Stawell to Mallee, I've already been working closely with residents and stakeholders in that region and look forward to continue to advocate for all of Northern Grampians Shire."
The expansion of the Mallee division is part of the Commission's year-long process to determine the extent of Victoria's federal electorate redistribution before voters go back to the polls in 2022.
OTHER NEWS:
Due to the state's population growth, Victoria is entitled to go from 38 to 39 seats in the House of Representatives based on population.
The additional seat to be named Hawke in honour of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke will be created west of Melbourne, and the seat of Corangamite in the Geelong area will be renamed Tucker in honour of Yorta Yorta leader Margaret Tucker.
Objections to the proposed changes must be in by Friday, April 30.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from The Ararat Advertiser. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Ararat shire, sign up here.