Page 2631 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 October 1992
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I see the community's involvement in the boundaries process as fundamental to the legislation. I will briefly outline the way in which the initial distribution and subsequent redistributions will work. At the outset the Redistribution Committee is required to call for suggestions from the public in relation to the proposed redistribution and for comments on any suggestions made. After the Redistribution Committee decides on a proposed redistribution it will be available for public perusal at the Electoral Commission's office, and objections will be accepted at the Electoral Commission within 28 days. Objections will be considered by the Electoral Commission. In considering objections, the Electoral Commission will be required to hold public hearings unless, in the commission's opinion, the matters raised by the objection are frivolous or vexatious or the objection raises the same matters as were raised by suggestions or comments received in response to the initial advertising process.
Having considered objections, the commission is required to make a public announcement of any proposed redistribution and, if this proposal is significantly different to that of the Redistribution Committee, further objections will be accepted from anyone. In this respect the Bill differs from the Commonwealth model, which accepts further objections only from people who have previously contributed to the community consultation process. This modification was supported by the Australian Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission will then consider any further objections and, after considering these, the Electoral Commission must give written reasons for its decision on a redistribution and determine the electorates. To conclude the process, the Electoral Commission is required to submit a report on the entire process to me for tabling in the Assembly.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I would now like to return to one of the crucial parts of the Bill which I adverted to earlier. In preparing a proposed redistribution, both the Redistribution Committee and the Electoral Commission must have regard to the following matters: Community of interests within the proposed electorate, including economic, social and regional interests; means of communication and travel within the proposed electorate; the physical features and area of the proposed electorate; the boundaries of any existing electoral boundaries; and the boundaries established under the Districts Act 1966.
The referendum options description sheet provides that the criteria for drawing boundaries be as nearly as practicable the same as those used for Commonwealth redistributions. The above list is the same as for the House of Representatives, with the addition of the reference to the Districts Act, which sets local boundaries within the Territory. In addition, a proposed redistribution will have to comply with the quota formula defined in section 67D of the self-government Act. This quota provides the mechanism for determining the optimum number of electors for each electorate.
Finally, Mr Deputy Speaker, the Bill provides for regard to be had to future projections of the number of electors enrolled in each electorate. This is done by the Redistribution Committee and the Electoral Commission endeavouring to ensure that, at the time of the next election, the numbers of electors enrolled in each electorate will not be less than 98 per cent or more than 102 per cent of the quota set out in section 67D. This will ensure consideration of the demographic
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