Names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in the ACT decided

Mr Rogers, the presiding member and Electoral Commissioner, thanked the individuals and organisations who contributed to the redistribution.

“All written objections and comments as well as the information presented at the inquiry in Canberra have been carefully considered in deciding the final names and boundaries,” Mr Rogers said.

“The augmented Electoral Commission unanimously agreed to the adoption of the names ‘Canberra’ and ‘Fenner’ and to accept the Redistribution Committee’s proposed boundary changes with a small modification to incorporate all of the suburb of Phillip in the southern electoral division.”

Following extensive deliberations, the augmented Electoral Commission voted 4-2 in favour of adopting the Redistribution Committee’s proposal to name the southern electoral division ‘Bean’, to recognise Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean.

Below is a brief outline of:

• Electoral division names,
• Boundaries, and
• Next steps.

Editor’s notes:

• Initial proposal for the redistribution of the ACT (6 April 2018)
• Written objections and comments on those objections are available as well as a full overview of the augmented Electoral Commission’s conclusion on objections to the Redistribution Committee’s proposed redistribution.
• Where the augmented Electoral Commission’s decision on the final names and/or boundaries of electoral divisions is not unanimous, under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 the decision must be supported by no less than four members of the augmented Electoral Commission of whom at least two are members of the Electoral Commission.
• Further information about the redistribution process
• Victorian redistribution: The announcement of the final names and boundaries of the 38 federal electoral divisions in Victoria.
• South Australian redistribution: The announcement of the final names and boundaries of the 10 federal electoral divisions in South Australia.

Electoral division names

Mr Rogers said that the augmented Electoral Commission had adopted the names proposed by the Redistribution Committee for the ACT:

• the northern electoral division will be known as the Division of Fenner,
• the central electoral division will be known as the Division of Canberra, and
• the southern electoral division will be known as the Division of Bean in recognition of prominent war historian Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean.

Boundaries

The augmented Electoral Commission has modified the Redistribution Committee’s initial redistribution proposal by locating the suburb of Phillip in its entirety in the proposed Division of Bean. The proposed boundary will follow Hindmarsh Drive, Melrose Drive and Yamba Drive.

• The Redistribution Committee had proposed locating that part of the suburb of Phillip located to the north of Hindmarsh Drive in the proposed Division of Canberra and that part located to the south of Hindmarsh Drive in the proposed Division of Bean.

Next steps

The augmented Electoral Commission notes this proposal is not significantly different from the Redistribution Committee’s proposal. Therefore no further input from members of the public will be sought.

The names and boundaries of the federal electoral divisions for the ACT will apply from Friday 13 July 2018 when a notice of determination is published in the Commonwealth Government Notices Gazette. Electoral events will not be contested on these new federal electoral divisions until a writ is issued for a full federal election.

Overview maps will be available on the AEC website on Friday 13 July 2018. Detailed maps and a report outlining the augmented Electoral Commission's reasons for its formal determination will be tabled in the Federal Parliament and will subsequently be made publicly available.