The ACT and Victoria are the big winners following an electoral redistribution by the Australian Electoral Commission.
“The figures show the population has increased sufficiently to result in Victoria and the ACT each increasing their entitlement by one seat. At the same time the entitlement for South Australia will decrease by one seat,” Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said.
South Australia’s seat count will go from 11 seats down to 10 in line with its shrinking population based on the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“This is a sad day for South Australia. No matter which electorate is removed it is a sign that our presence on the national stage is diminishing,” South Australian Nick Xenophon Team MP, Rebekha Sharkie, told SBS World News.
Victoria’s unprecedented population growth will increase its count from 37 seats to 38, and the ACT will have three seats instead of two in the lower house for the first time since 1998.
Labor MP Andrew Leigh, whose electorate of Fenner sits in the ACT, said the decision is welcome.
“I will never say no to more representation for Canberra particularly if that means another voice supporting equality, multiculturalism and the fair go,” he told SBS News.
The changes will take the total number of members elected to the House of Representatives to 151 instead of 150 - the first increase in 17 years.
The redistribution process has now officially started but there will be months of lobbying and submissions, including from political parties themselves, before final boundaries are settled.
“Redistribution committees will be appointed and the public will soon be invited to make suggestions and comments on matters affecting the drawing of federal electoral boundaries and the naming of electoral divisions,” Mr Rogers said.
Electoral redistributions are aimed at making sure each state and territory is represented in proportion to its population.
In the latest census, Tasmania showed the lowest population growth of all states and territories for the second time in a row, although it is the only state that is constitutionally guaranteed a minimum of five MPs.
