Population growth in Melbourne’s outer west has driven changes to state electoral boundaries.
Melton and Moorabool residents will be split into five electorates represented by members for Melton, Macedon, Buninyong, Sunbury and Kororoit.
Local voters are currently represented by three electorates: Melton, Macedon and Ballarat East.
The redistributions, proposed by the Electoral Boundaries Commission in June, were approved last week.
Under Victorian law, electorates should contain equal numbers of voters, not varying by more than 10 per cent from the state average.
Diggers Rest will be incorporated into the Sunbury electorate and the seat of Macedon will include Toolern Vale, Blackwood and Coimadai.
The Kororoit electorate will take in Mount Cottrell, Ravenhall and Plumpton.
The new Buninyong electorate will include Ballan, Myrniong, Parwan and Balliang.
Melton Labor MP Don Nardella said he was sad to lose towns from Melton’s outskirts.
“I’m sad about losing my smaller rural communities; they are just terrific people, great families and we’ve been able to do quite a bit of work together,” he said.
“I’ll still keep looking after them till the election, I’m committed to that. I’ll also make sure whoever takes over, I’ll hand those areas over to them and try and have a smooth transition so the work can continue.”
In a submission to the VEC, Moorabool council chief executive Rob Croxford pushed for all of the municipality to be included in the Buninyong electorate.
He said Moorabool didn’t have a strong synergy with Melton, being more a collection of rural communities than a city.
“We see ourselves as a much smaller player,’’ he said.
‘‘In terms of resources, Melton is favoured and that’s not a bad thing; it’s because of its size.”
Moorabool’s Cr Tonia Dudzik feared the changes would “disadvantage” residents.
“The Bacchus Marsh area is in dire need of funding for social and road infrastructure,” she said.
“The state electoral distribution will reduce the ability of Moorabool Shire Council to receive future funding opportunities and improvements to the area.”
In knocking back the council’s suggestion that Buninyong district be named Moorabool, an EBC report said the commission was “reluctant” to give an electoral district the same name as a shire.
The changes will come into effect at the state election on November 29 next year.
