Golden Plains Shire Council will be covered by three state MPs following the new Victorian state electoral boundaries announced earlier today.
The new boundaries confirmed by the Electoral Boundaries Commission will see Golden Plains Shire represented in the next Victorian Parliament by the Members for Ripon, Geelong and the new seat of Eureka. Currently, Golden Plains Shire is split between the Districts of Buninyong and Polwarth.
Communities in the Shire’s north including Linton, Scarsdale, Smythesdale, Haddon, Ross Creek and Napoleons will move out of the abolished seat of Buninyong into the District of Ripon. Other communities outside Golden Plains Shire in Ripon will include the western and northern outskirts of Ballarat, Ararat, Beaufort, St Arnaud and Maryborough.
The south-eastern growth area around Bannockburn, Russells Bridge and Gheringhap will sit in the District of Geelong after shifting out of the District of Polwarth. Outside of Golden Plains Shire, the District of Geelong includes Fyansford and Geelong’s inner suburbs and CBD.
The remainder of the Shire which is currently split between the seats of Buninyong and Polwarth will now be joined together in the new District of Eureka. This includes Wallinduc, Rokewood, Shelford, Teesdale, Inverleigh, Dereel, Enfield, Meredith and Lethbridge. The new District of Eureka will also include Ballarat’s eastern suburbs, Buninyong, Gordon, Ballan and Bacchus Marsh.
Golden Plains Shire Mayor Cr Helena Kirby says the new boundaries are a significant change for local residents.
“The new Victorian state electoral boundaries released today represent a substantial change to the Shire’s representation in the next Victorian Parliament. Residents in our Shire’s north, centre and south will now be represented by three different MPs.
“This means that for many of our residents, they will be voting in a new electorate at next year’s state election. In the lead up to the poll, I encourage all residents to check the Electoral Boundaries Commission’s website to determine their new electorate.
“While it may be confusing to see our Shire split into three separate electorates, Council looks forward to working with each of the elected representatives on delivering for the Golden Plains Shire community.”
The new boundaries will come into effect at the next Victorian State Election in November 2022. For more information on the redistribution, visit ebc.vic.gov.au.