NSW Labor and the Greens have welcomed the proposed inclusion of Ballina in the federal electorate of Richmond following redistribution of NSW’s electoral boundaries last week.
But they have rued the loss of the alternative-lifestyle centre of Nimbin to the seat of Page, with the Greens considering a challenge to the Australian Electoral Commission’s draft redistribution aimed at reducing the number of NSW seats in the House of representatives from 48 to 47.
NSW Greens candidate for Richmond, Dawn Walker, said ‘it’s true that we are looking closely at the proposed boundary changes and would prefer Nimbin to remain in Richmond’.
‘We do however, welcome the Australian Electoral Commission’s decision to expand the boundaries of the electorate to include the township of Ballina,’ Ms Walker said.
Ballina is considered much more conservative than Nimbin, which recorded one of the biggest Green votes at the last election.
Sitting Richmond MP, Labor’s Justine Elliot, said ‘Nimbin is an exciting eclectic community and I would very much like Nimbin to remain in the Richmond electorate’.
‘Ballina is an exciting vibrant community and I’m committed to working hard for them to make sure we get our fair share from Canberra,’ Mrs Elliot, who has held the seat for 11 years, said.
Ms Walker told Echonetdaily that ‘Off the back of winning the state seat of Ballina at the 2015 state election, the Greens have demonstrated we are a strong voice for our community who demand better representation’.
’Communities in our region have shown that they trust the Greens to represent them at the state and local levels. The seat of Richmond in the federal Parliament is a natural extension,’ she said.
‘With this expanded electorate I look forward to representing the diversity of interests in the seat of Richmond. It’s a community I’m proud to be a part of and which I’m excited to represent.’
The next federal election will be held before January 2017. The AEC has set November 3 as the deadline for objections redistribution proposals.
Once a redistribution is final, the AEC automatically transfers existing elector enrolments to the correct electoral division.
Ballina with a population of close to 17,000 people is a large piece of the pie for the Richmond electorate that has a population of approx. 135,000 people thus making the proposed Richmond electoral boundary approx. 152,000 people.
This would require greater expenditure on infrastructure and the federal sitting member would need to be more ‘pro-active’ with the new distribution in question.
This will require more emphasis on ocean water rise and erosion + water quality upon the northern rivers of the new boundary + housing affordability and the ability to provide employment and the ageing population growth that is expected within the electorate.
The electorate may be persuaded to vote for the government that will be polled as to winning the federal election to ensure that we get a say, if we don’t, we could be unfairly targeted for no improvements in the area.
Is there any evidence that Justine Elliot ever visited Nimbin? In fact did she ever drive down the Burringbar Range?
Oh come on !
The days when Australians could expect democracy ended when the Governor general ,the leader of the opposition and High court judges colluded with Prince Charles and the CIA to quash the democratically elected government in this country. The gerrymander and electoral redistribution are time honoured methods to circumvent any hint of the citizens trying to remove those, who are born and destined to rule.
God save the Bunyip aristocracy!…..and just remember, YOU just can’t win.
G”)