A Wyndham councillor is calling for Point Cook to be removed from the seat of Lalor as part of a redistribution of federal electoral boundaries.
In a submission made to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), Cr Josh Gilligan has recommended that the suburbs of Point Cook, Laverton, Seabrook and Altona Meadows be moved outside of the Lalor boundaries for enrolment numbers to fall within recommended quotas.
“The easier option available to the AEC will be to redistribute remaining portions of suburbs that still remain in the boundaries but where the majority of the overall suburb lay outside the Lalor boundary,” Cr Gilligan’s submission stated.
The AEC is currently redistributing federal electorates following a decision by the Electoral Commissioner to add another Victorian seat to the House of Representatives.
Currently, 131,058 voters are enrolled in the seat of Lalor – more than 10 per cent over the current enrolment quota of 106,954 – meaning that the electoral boundaries of the seat are likely to change as part of the redistribution.
Cr Gilligan believes, where possible, that entire suburbs should fall within the same electorate to avoid confusion and buck-passing with infrastructure, citing Aircraft train station and Point Cook Road as current examples.
He’s also keen for Truganina to remain within the current boundaries.
“Currently, Wyndham’s Industrial Estate largely presides in the federal electorate of Lalor … [shifting Truganina out of Lalor] would create significant risk to the industrial rates base of the municipality and impact on the business and community harmony.”
He stressed his submission was made in a personal capacity and did not reflect Wyndham council’s position on the issue.
