Federal Member for Mallee Andrew Broad has played down fears Maryborough will struggle getting political attention if the town is moved into the vast electorate he represents.
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The Australian Electoral Commission has proposed a reshuffle of 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.
The new alignments plan to move Maryborough into the seat of Mallee, held by the Mildura-based Nationals MP.
The Central Goldfields Shire Council 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 have focused on the plight of Maryborough, which was part of the Bendigo electorate in 2008 before being moved into its current division of Wannon.
Mr Broad said he understood the council’s argument, but suggested he was willing to travel as part of the role.
“The thing that I always try and do is to travel to them,” he said.
Mr Broad, who is from central Victoria, has a farm near Bridgewater and said the geographical constrains of being the largest federal seat in Victoria was something he had to manage.
As for Maryborough, if it was moved into the Mallee electorate, Mr Broad said he was open to ideas on what the town needs.
He said the basics of good education opportunities, business growth and adequate health services would be a focus.
“We're going to do our best - that's all we can do,” he said.
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 earlier this year.
Maryborough is located near the intersection of three electoral seats – Bendigo, Wannon and Mallee – with some submissions suggesting it should be moved back into Bendigo.
The AEC will consider submissions and likely come to a conclusion by July, according to Mr Broad.
