Victorian National Party proposes redraw of Bendigo's political boundaries

In a submission to the Electoral Boundaries Commission the Nationals suggest a new lower house electorate of Bendigo be established to represent the city's urban area.

Another new seat known as Goldfields is proposed to take in several smaller towns and rural areas of central Victoria, including Castlemaine, Daylesford and Maryborough, and down to Clunes and Creswick.

The existing seat of Ripon would be retained but redrawn to take in rural areas to the north of Bendigo that currently sit within the Bendigo East electorate.

Labor has held both Bendigo East and Bendigo West since the 1990s, with the conservative parties struggling for much of the period since to seriously challenge the ALP at the ballot box.

The long-standing MPs Jacinta Allan and Maree Edwards hold senior positions in the state government.

The National Party's submission is one of about 50 made to the commission, which is holding a regular review of the state's electoral divisions.

The reviews are held to try to ensure that each seat has roughly the same number of voters as populations shift over time.

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Of the submissions from the major parties, the Nationals' contains the most radical proposals. The party argues that its proposals are logical and will protect the interests of rural and regional voters.

"Victoria's future population growth and distribution is uncertain due to decreased migration and other factors relating to COVID-19," the party wrote in its submission.

"While we accept that that population projections need to be considered for this redistribution, our Party requests that the Commission prioritises the protection of regional electors and avoids contrived peri-urban divisions."

The Liberal and Labor parties have suggested much less significant changes to central Victoria's lower house divisions.

The Liberals suggest that Bendigo East's boundary should shift eastward to include Heathcote, Stanhope and Rushworth.

The place of Maryborough on state and federal political maps has been a point of debate for many years, and if the National Party's suggestions were adopted then the town would find itself moved out of Ripon and into the new Goldfields electorate.

The Central Goldfields Shire has made its own submission to the Electoral Boundaries Commission, urging the independent body to keep Maryborough in Ripon.

"All of the Central Goldfields Shire is currently in Ripon and it is recommended that the Commission includes both retaining Ripon and keeping the whole of the Central Goldfields Shire in Ripon," chief executive Lucy Roffey submitted.

"This would retain Central Goldfields Shire community of interest geography, agriculturally and historically."

The commission is due to publish its proposals for the electoral boundaries at the end of June.

Further submissions will be sought in the second half of 2021 before the final boundaries are presented in October.

The next state election is due in November 2022.

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