Page 2028 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014
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commission whose qualifications or experience would, in the opinion of the commission, enable a person to assist the redistribution committee, particularly in relation to practical and community considerations.
The technical requirements of the redistribution process are also set out in the Electoral Act and in the self-government act. The combined effect of both these pieces of legislation is to require the redistribution committee to undertake a number of processes and considerations. The committee must ensure that the number of electors in an electorate immediately after the redistribution is within the range of not greater than 110 per cent or less than 90 per cent of the quota. As far as practicable, they must ensure that the number of electors in an electorate at the time of the next general election of members of the Assembly will not be greater than 105 per cent or less than 95 per cent of the expected quota for the electorate at that time. This, of course, provides protections for the important principle of one vote, one value.
They must also consider the following factors: the community interests within each proposed electorate, including economic, social and regional interests; the means of communication and travel within each proposed electorate; the physical features and area of each proposed electorate; the boundaries of existing electorates; and the boundaries of divisions or sections fixed under the Districts Act 2002.
Before the redistribution committee makes its proposal, any interested people or organisations who wish to make suggestions are given time to make suggestions in writing to the committee. The committee’s first proposed redistribution will be published in a newspaper and exhibited at the commission’s offices and on its website. Time is allowed for the lodgement of any objections. Objections are considered by the augmented Electoral Commission, which comprises the chairperson of the Electoral Commission and the other member of the commission sitting together with the members of the redistribution committee.
The augmented Electoral Commission will consider any initial objections and make a second proposed redistribution. If this second proposal is not significantly different from the first, the second set of proposed boundaries will become the final boundaries for the ACT Legislative Assembly. If the second proposal is significantly different, however, there is the opportunity for any further objections to be made within a 28-day period before a final determination of boundaries is made by the augmented Electoral Commission.
This process is both robust and independent. It will ensure that there is the opportunity for the community to have its say on this, the most significant change to our electoral system since self-government—change which will be effected by this bill together with the ACT Legislative Assembly bill.
When I was first elected to this place in 1997, the now rapidly growing district of Molonglo was a pine forest. When I was first elected to this Assembly, the district of Gungahlin had three suburbs, and one of those was not yet complete. Today we see 100,000 extra electors on the roll compared to when self-government was first granted to the territory. It is time to make this reform. The Assembly should be proud of the manner in which it has conducted itself in this debate. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
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