General News
24 January, 2023
Council prepares for ward shifts
Yarriambiack Shire is set for massive change as the council is under review of the Victorian Electorate Commission (VEC). The Electoral Structure Review in place will put the shire council before a VEC panel to review the ward-to-councillor ratio...
Yarriambiack Shire is set for massive change as the council is under review of the Victorian Electorate Commission (VEC).
The Electoral Structure Review in place will put the shire council before a VEC panel to review the ward-to-councillor ratio and bring this into compliance with the Local Government Act 2020.
Yarriambiack Shire chief executive Tammy Smith said the uneven councillors to ward ratio was compliant with the Local Government Act 1989 but no longer met the new act's requirements for an even number of councillors in each ward.
“Council will be moving towards a compliant structure in accordance with the act prior to the next Victoria Local Government Elections in October 2024,” Ms Smith said.
Previously, councils were required to have councillors devoted to wards based on the number of voters, with each councillor representing a percentage of voters in the area.
Electoral structures were changed under the act, requiring wards to have an equal number of councillors to ensure voters of each ward and communities are represented as fairly as possible.
Currently, Yarriambiack Shire has three councillors for the Warracknabeal Ward, two councillors for the Hopetoun Ward and two councillors for the Dunmunkle Ward.
This structure may be uprooted and changed, with the potential for council to open a bi-election for more councillors or say goodbye to currently elected councillors to comply with the new act.
Yarriambiack Shire is one of 39 shires to be under review, alongside the nearby shires of Northern Grampians and Buloke.
Currently, Buloke Shire has two councillors for the Mallee Ward, two councillors for the Lower Avoca Ward and three councillors for the Mount Jeffcott Ward.
Buloke Shire director of community development Travis Fitzgibbon said the Local Government Act 2020 had "introduced a number of changes to the process of local government representation and reviews".
“These reviews are yet to commence but, given the existing electoral structure does not meet the requirements of the (current) act, Buloke Shire Council will see change to its current structure,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
Electoral commissioner Warwick Gately, who will be on the review panel, said the panellists would consider if each council had an appropriate number of councillors and whether they should be one large area or subdivided into wards.
“If the council will be subdivided, the panel will look at how many wards the council should have, the number of councillors in each ward, ward boundaries and ward names,” Mr Gately said.
As part of the review, the VEC will hold online information sessions for the public tonight at 6pm, available through the vec.vic.gov.au website.
“Yarriambiack is one of the most unique Councils in Victoria, covering such a large geographical area with a small population," Ms Smith said.
"We encourage people to join the online VEC information sessions.
“This is your opportunity to help shape the electoral structure of Yarriambiack Shire and best represent the needs of our community.
“This review impacts all residents and we’d love to see a large number of residents attend the online sessions and provide submissions to help shape the future of the Yarriambiack electorate.”
Following the online sessions, the VEC will be open to public submissions tomorrow from shire residents on what they believe the best structure for their shire to be.
The review is expected to end in May this year, when a report will be finalised and distributed to the respective shires with upcoming changes.