With SA losing a federal seat at the next election, the electorates of Grey and Barker – which already combine to make up 98.5 per cent of the state’s area – are set to grow even larger.
Under proposed changes devised for the Australian Electoral Commission, the two electorates will incorporate much of the previous electorate of Wakefield and meet near the town of Roseworthy, with Horrocks Highway the dividing line in this area.
The Redistribution Committee for SA said Grey was about 10,000 electors short of the minimum numbers needed, and since it was bordered by the Southern Ocean as well as NSW, Qld, WA and NT, it was restricted as to where it could source new electors.
It shares a boundary with Barker and Wakefield, but with Barker also in need of an extra 10,000 electors, changes had to be made to Wakefield – which is the fastest growing electorate in the state.
The proposed changes would bring an extra 17,719 people into Grey and 12,085 into Barker, putting both within 2 per cent of the targeted number.
Electorates are allowed to vary by 10pc on either side.
There might be some tinkering but we won’t be likely to see another elimination (of a seat).
- HAYDON MANNING
Sitting member for Grey Rowan Ramsey said the electorate reshuffle could provide some challenges for him, if he was returned to the seat.
He said many of the industries in the new electorate area, such as broadacre cropping, were already active in Grey, but large-scale winegrapes at Clare and irrigated horticulture at Two Wells would mean new areas to learn about.
Mr Ramsey said the size of the electorate presented challenges, but there were also ways to mitigate these, such as a charter allowance and having three offices in the region to maximise his access to constituents.
He said on average, he would drive about 80,000 kilometres to 90,000km a year, which included the 20 weeks his car is parked while he is in Canberra.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the changes were a consequence of “poor economic management” by the previous state government.
He welcomed the chance to represent more of the Barossa region, saying it made sense for a single member to represent the region.
Mayo has also been gazetted to expand by 13,641 electors, with the Adelaide Hills seat to include suburbs such as Coromandel Valley and Sellicks Beach, while losing some sections of the Barossa Valley.
Further electorate cutbacks unlikely
The proposed changes to the state’s electorates at the next federal election should mean stability for the medium-term, according to Flinders University associate professor in politics and public policy Haydon Manning.
He said the redistribution was a result of SA’s population growth not keeping pace with other states, leading to the state losing a seat in the house of representatives, with ACT and Vic each gaining seats.
“We are likely to see very few changes for quite some time,” he said. “There might be some tinkering but we won’t be likely to see another elimination (of a seat).”
He said this would eventually put a lot of SA electorates on the higher end of what was needed in each electorate.
Dr Manning said since the mid-1980s, SA’s representation at the federal level had decreased from 13 seats in the House of Representatives to 10.
He said the boundaries were generally redrawn, based on numbers, to allow them to be as close to even as possible.
But, there were some allowances for “communities of interest”, he said, which typically meant, where possible, boundaries would avoid splitting local governments and might group rural and suburban communities separately.
In the past there was also a focus on trying not to create too much distance for someone to travel to see their local member, he said, but in recent years, with improved transport and internet access, this may be a lesser priority.
The public can comment on the plan until May 11.
