The Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed the repositioning of Maryborough into the federal electorate of Mallee, in doing so ignoring the concerns of numerous residents and the “bitterly disappointed” Central Goldfields Shire Council.
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The AEC approved the town’s shift from the seat of Wannon to the largest federal electorate in Victoria on Wednesday.
The Central Goldfields Shire formally opposed the move in a submission to the AEC, with chief administrator Noel Harvey suggesting the shire will be “adversely affected” and the changes would be “a detriment to the community”.
A number of other submissions to the AEC focused on the plight of Maryborough, which was part of the Bendigo electorate in 2008 before being moved into the division of Wannon.
The AEC has reshuffled various electoral boundaries across Victoria to create room for an extra federal seat, which has been added in Melbourne’s west to account for population growth.
Mr Harvey said he was “extremely disappointed” with the decision and the process.
“The community was very strong in its view, there were around 20 separate submissions from the community to the AEC, which haven’t been given appropriate consideration,” he said.
“To rub salt into the wounds, the AEC have said they understand the conflict of putting Maryborough into this seat but said they needed to make the shift to solve other problems, which is simply not good enough.
“It’s faceless bureaucrats making decisions that affect an already stressed community.”
The Central Goldfields Shire is the most socioeconomically disadvantaged municipality in Victoria and one of the most disadvantaged in Australia, according to 2016 Census data, released in March.
Concern with the shift centered on the geographic limitations of the seat, and Maryborough’s resulting fight for political attention.
Maryborough is located near the intersection of three federal seats – Bendigo, Wannon and Mallee – and had advocated to be included back into the Bendigo electorate.
Its new representative Andrew Broad last month played down representation concerns, saying he was willing to travel as part of the role.
Mr Harvey said Mr Broad confirmed to him on Wednesday that he has received funding to have an official presence in Maryborough, however it remains unclear whether it will be an office.
Mr Harvey confirmed the town had no issues with its new member, simply the size of the seat it was now located in.