Yarra Ranges Shire Council will continue to have nine single-councillor wards but with modified ward boundaries.
Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins has decided to support Option A outlined in the Victorian Electoral Commission’s (VEC) Review for Yarra Ranges, which maintains the existing ward structure.
Under this option, the ward boundaries were slightly adjusted in order to better align councillor-voter numbers.
The Local Government Act 1989 requires the VEC to conduct an independent electoral representation review of each council before every third council general election – approximately every 12 years – with unscheduled reviews taking place when required.
Yarra Ranges was reviewed in 2007, then in 2012, making this the third review in a decade. This representation review is triggered by a rarely used requirement in the Act after successive changes in voter population.
The latest Yarra Ranges review was triggered by changing councillor-voter ratios, which drifted slightly outside of 10 per cent tolerance ahead of the 2016 council elections.
As Minister for Local Government, Ms Hutchins is responsible for considering the VEC’s review and making a determination on council’s electoral structure.
The VEC conducted community consultation as part of the electoral representation review, which was considered in the report and the Minister’s decision.
For full details of council reviews, see the VEC website
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins
“There was no compelling case for a change to the Yarra Ranges Shire electoral structure. The review was triggered by a small shift in population – but resolving that did not warrant an entirely new ward structure.”
“The Government has chosen the option provided by the VEC that maintains the single ward structure voters are familiar with.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020