Electoral Representation Reviews
Electoral structures and boundaries for councils need to be regularly reviewed to ensure that representation continues to be democratic and appropriate. This is particularly important in rapidly developing regions.
What are Electoral Representation Reviews?
Electoral Representation Reviews are regular reviews of a municipality’s electoral structure to provide fair and equitable representation for voters.
While such reviews in the past were conducted by the elected councils themselves, they are now conducted independently by an electoral commission under contract to the council.
The electoral commission conducts the review and submits a final report to the Minister for Local Government that recommends:
- The number of councillors to be elected
- The appropriate electoral structure (eg: single member wards, multi-member wards or unsubdivided)
- The location of ward boundaries, if wards are recommended
Electoral representation reviews aim to provide fair and equitable representation for voters. Considerations generally include the following types of matters:
- the "one vote, one value" principle
- communities of interest
- demographics
- geography
- growth potential
When is a review conducted?
Reviews are required to be conducted before every second general election for a council. This means that, as a general rule, each municipality will have an Electoral Representation Review every eight years.
Of the total 79 Victorian councils, 39 had reviews conducted prior to the 2004 or 2005 elections. The Minister has announced that a further 38 are to hold reviews prior to the November 2008 council elections.
Commencement times for reviews for these councils are listed below.
Reviews commencing from February 2007:
- Banyule City Council
- Bayside City Council
- Darebin City Council
- Kingston City Council
- Knox City Council
- Manningham City Council
- Whitehorse City Council
Reviews commencing from May 2007:
- Ararat Rural City Council
- Ballarat City Council
- Buloke Shire Council
- Colac Otway Shire Council
- Glenelg Shire Council
- Golden Plains Shire Council
- Hepburn Shire Council
- Moyne Shire Council
- Northern Grampians Shire Council
- Southern Grampians Shire Council
- Swan Hill Rural City Council
Reviews commencing from August 2007:
- Baw Baw Shire Council
- Benalla Rural City Council
- Campaspe Shire Council
- East Gippsland Shire Council
- Gannawarra Shire Council
- Latrobe City Council
- Mansfield Shire Council
- Moira Shire Council
- Murrindindi Shire Council
- Port Phillip City Council
- Yarra Ranges Shire Council
Reviews commencing from January 2008:
- Bass Coast Shire Council
- Boroondara City Council
- Greater Dandenong City Council
- Greater Geelong City Council
- Maroondah City Council
- Melton Shire Council
- Moonee Valley City Council
- Nillumbik Shire Council
- Borough of Queenscliffe
The Surf Coast Shire Council had its last independent review conducted in late 2003. Its next review will commence not earlier than November 2010, in time for the 2012 general election. The remaining council, Melbourne City Council, does not require Electoral Representation Reviews because its electoral structure is specified in the City of Melbourne Act 2001.
A Review may not commence more than two years before an election and must be completed at least six months before the election day.
The
Victorian Electoral Commission website contains further detail about the review process and how you can take part.What is the review process?
The process of conducting an Electoral Representation Review involves two stages of public consultation.
In the first stage, preliminary written submissions are invited from the public and from the council. After considering these submissions, the reviewer appointed by the electoral commission prepares a preliminary report that includes a preferred option as to the number of councillors, the electoral structure and any required ward boundaries. The preliminary report may also include alternative options.
The second stage involves public consultation on the preliminary report and the preparation of a final report. Written public submissions are again invited, however in this stage submitters may also speak to their submissions.
The final report, when completed, is submitted to the Minister and a copy is provided to the council to be available for public inspection. The Minister accepted the recommendations of the independent reviewer for all 39 reviews conducted prior to the 2004 and 2005 council elections.
Subdivision Reviews
If population growth in a municipality is particularly high between scheduled Electoral Representation Reviews and the balance of representation from ward to ward varies by more than a 10% margin, a subdivision review may be conducted to ensure the number of voters per councillor does not vary by more than 10% between wards.
A subdivision review only considers the location of ward boundaries. It does not consider the number of councillors or the council’s overall electoral structure.
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