Attachment One Redistribution backgrounder
Why is a redistribution undertaken?
During the thirteenth month after the first meeting of the newly elected House of Representatives, the Electoral Commissioner is required by law to use the latest statistics of the Commonwealth to ascertain the Australian population.
He is then required to make a determination of each State and Territory's entitlement to representation in the House of Representatives.
State and Territory entitlements are calculated by dividing the total population figure for the Commonwealth, excluding the Territories, by twice the number of Senators for the States to obtain a quota. The population of each State and Territory is then divided by the quota, and the result rounded to the nearest whole number to determine the entitlement.
The calculation is as follows:
1. Australian Population
Number of people of the Commonwealth and of the several States and Territories were ascertained to be as follows:
| State/Territory1 | Number of people |
|---|---|
| The States | |
| New South Wales | 6 657 478 |
| Victoria | 4 888 243 |
| Queensland | 3 729 123 |
| Western Australia | 1 934 508 |
| South Australia | 1 522 467 |
| Tasmania | 473 371 |
| The Territories | |
| Australian Capital Territory2 | 322 317 |
| Jervis Bay Territory | 554 |
| Northern Territory3 | 197 724 |
| Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 600 |
| Territory of Christmas Island | 1 436 |
| Australian Antarctic Territory | 65 |
| Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | 0 |
| Coral Sea Islands Territory | 4 |
| Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands | 0 |
| The Commonwealth4 | 19 205 190 |
Notes on Australian Population table
- Under section 38A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Act), the Territory of Norfolk Island is not taken to be a Territory for the purposes of this ascertainment.
However, under section 45(2) of the Act, a Norfolk Island resident who is one of the people of a State for the purposes of sections 7 and 24 of the Constitution is included in the count of the population of the relevant State and of the Commonwealth for the purposes of this ascertainment and, under section 46(2) of the Act, a Norfolk Island resident who is enrolled in the Australian Capital Territory under section 95AA(3) of the Act is also included in the count of the population of the Australian Capital Territory for the purposes of this ascertainment. - Under section 4 of the Act, the Jervis Bay Territory is taken for the purposes of this ascertainment to be part of the Australian Capital Territory.
- Pursuant to section 48(2C) of the Act, the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Territory of Christmas Island are taken to be part of the Northern Territory for the purposes of this ascertainment.
- Under section 45 of the Act, the total number of the people of the Commonwealth does not include the numbers of people of the Territories.
2. The Quota
Under section 48(2)(a) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the quota is the number of the people of the Commonwealth1 divided by twice the number of Senators for the States.
| Number of people of the Commonwealth | = | 19 205 190 |
|---|---|---|
| Twice the number of Senators for the States | = | 144 |
| Quota | = | 133 369.375 |
| { Calculation: | 19 205 190 | = 133 369.375 } |
| 144 |
3. The Entitlement Determination
The number of Members of the House of Representatives to be chosen in each State and Territory is determined by dividing the number of people in each State and Territory by the quota and rounding the result to the nearest whole number.
| State/Territory1 | Number of people | Divided by the Quota | Result | Number of Members to be chosen | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 6 657 478 | 133 369.375 | 49.9176 | 50 | - |
| Victoria | 4 888 243 | 133 369.375 | 36.6519 | 37 | - |
| Queensland | 3 729 123 | 133 369.375 | 27.9609 | 28 | +1 |
| Western Australia | 1 934 508 | 133 369.375 | 14.5049 | 15 | - |
| South Australia | 1 522 467 | 133 369.375 | 11.4154 | 11 | -1 |
| Tasmania2 | 473 371 | 133 369.375 | 3.5493 | 5 | - |
| Australian Capital Territory3 | 322 871 | 133 369.375 | 2.4209 | 2 | - |
| Northern Territory4 | 199 760 | 133 369.375 | 1.4978 | 1 | -1 |
| Australian Antarctic Territory | 65 | 133 369.375 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | 0 | 133 369.375 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Coral Sea Islands Territory | 4 | 133 369.375 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands | 0 | 133 369.375 | 0 | 0 | - |
Notes on Entitlement Determination
- Under section 38A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Act), the Territory of Norfolk Island is not taken to be a Territory for the purposes of this determination.
However, under section 45(2) of the Act, a Norfolk Island resident who is one of the people of a State for the purposes of sections 7 and 24 of the Constitution is included in the count of the population of the relevant State and of the Commonwealth for the purposes of this determination and, under section 46(2) of the Act, a Norfolk Island resident who is enrolled in the Australian Capital Territory under section 95AA(3) of the Act is also included in the count of the population of the Australian Capital Territory for the purposes of this determination. - Tasmania is guaranteed a minimum of five Members under section 24 of the Constitution.
- Under section 4 of the Act, the Jervis Bay Territory is taken for the purposes of this determination to be part of the Australian Capital Territory.
- Under section 48(2C) of the Act, the Territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island are taken for the purposes of this determination to be part of the Northern Territory because they lack sufficient population to qualify for representation in their own right.
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