State Government Approves Multi-Councillor Electoral Structure
Published on 20 February 2024
State Government Approves Multi-Councillor Electoral Structure for Northern Grampians Shire Council
The Northern Grampians Shire Council will adopt a multi-councillor ward structure with a total of six councillors, three wards and two councillors per ward with changes coming into effect ahead of the 2024 local government general elections in October this year. The new names for the three wards are Central Ward, Grampians Ward and Kara Kara Ward.
Appointed by the Minister for Local Government, an Electoral Representation Advisory Panel (ERAP) conducted an extensive review before recommending the new structure to the Victorian Government. Earlier this week the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Melissa Horne MP accepted the recommendation making the decision final.
Under the Act, all councils must have a single-member ward structure unless the Government has permitted them to have uniform multi-member wards or an unsubdivided structure. Mayor of Northern Grampians Shire Council, Cr Rob Haswell, voiced his approval for the multi-member ward selection, noting that community feedback had impacted the final decision.
“The independent advisory board undertook extensive community engagement to ensure local views were considered and the recommendation took into consideration the total number of councillors for each municipality, the ward structure, the number of wards, number of councillors per ward, ward boundaries and names. The panel received 11 submissions from the community, including one from the council. Population is the main thing. The new structure is fair in that it offers a balanced voter to councillor ratio, allowing for equality in representation and will allow us, as councillors, to provide the fair and equitable representation to our constituency that is required by the Act,” said Mayor Haswell.
There are approximately 10,172 voters in the Northern Grampians Shire currently, equating to a ratio of 1,453 voters per councillor.
The Act introduced several changes to local government representation, including the types of electoral structures local councils may have, and requires electoral structures to provide fair and equitable representation and facilitate good governance. For subdivided structures, each ward must have an approximately equal number of voters per councillor (within plus or minus ten percent of the average).
Currently, the number of councillors and electoral structure of Northern Grampians Shire Council is divided into four wards with a total of seven councillors; one ward with three councillors (Stawell); one ward with two councillors (Kara Kara); and two wards with one councillor each (Central and South West).
Further information is available at www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/Projects-and-Consultation/Ongoing-projects/Northern-Grampians-Shire-Council-electoral-structure-review
Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne
“The Electoral Representation Advisory Panels have delivered thorough work over an extensive period to ensure that Victorian councils will be set up to effectively represent their communities.”
“These new ward boundaries will be in place for the local government elections this year – an important step in our work to reform local government and meet the expectations of communities right across Victoria.”
For further information contact:
Media & Communications – Lauren Shipman
E-mail: lauren.shipman@ngshire.vic.gov.au