Shire’s electoral borders considered

THE community has been invited to have its say on three options proposed for the Colac Otway Shire’s electoral structure for next year onwards, following the release of a report from the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) last month.

The preliminary report is part of the VEC’s electoral representation review of Colac Otway Shire Council, which started in January with information sessions and a month-long public submission period.

The VEC asked community members to consider the number of councillors and whether the council should be subdivided into wards.

The review received 44 preliminary submissions, and the VEC also analysed demographic, geographic and electoral data and trends.

The three options outlined in the preliminary report are:
• A: The existing arrangement of seven councillors elected from an unsubdivided electoral structure
• B: Seven councillors elected from three wards (two three councillor wards and one single councillor ward), and
• C: Nine councillors elected from four wards (one four councillor ward, one three councillor ward and two single councillor wards).

Electoral Commissioner Warwick Gately encouraged community members to get involved by reviewing the report and making a submission.

“We want to ensure all voters are represented in a fair and equitable way, so now’s the time to speak up,” he said.

Submissions responding to the preliminary report should address the options and must be received by the VEC by 5pm on April 24. Submissions can be made online at vec.vic.gov.au, by email or by post.

A public hearing will be held at 4pm on April 30 at the COPACC, 95-97 Gellibrand Street, Colac for anyone who has requested to speak in support of their submission. If there are no requests to speak, the hearing will not be held.

The preliminary report is available at vec.vic.gov.au. Copies are also available for inspection at Colac Otway Shire council offices.