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Australian Electoral Commission
This report provides the Redistribution Committee for Tasmania’s (the Redistribution Committee) proposed redistribution of Tasmania into five electoral divisions.
The Redistribution Committee proposes:
This proposal is made available for public discussion and for appropriate modifications or adjustment by the augmented Electoral Commission for Tasmania (the augmented Electoral Commission) through the objections and comments on objections process (and inquiry process, if required). The augmented Electoral Commission will finalise the names and boundaries of electoral divisions after carefully considering objections and comments on objections (and oral submissions presented at any inquiry which may be held).
A redistribution of electoral divisions is the process where electoral divisions and their names and boundaries are reviewed, and may be altered, to ensure, as near as practicable:
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Electoral Act) indicates when a redistribution is to be conducted and the processes and timelines to be followed in doing so, including how and when public consultation is to occur.
A redistribution of electoral divisions in Tasmania was required as more than seven years have elapsed since the last redistribution was determined. Tasmania remains entitled to five members of the House of Representatives.
The redistribution process commenced with a direction from the Electoral Commission on Thursday 1 September 2016. Interested individuals and organisations were invited to make written suggestions and written comments on suggestions relating to the redistribution via notices published in:
Twenty-one written suggestions were made available for public perusal on Monday 5 December 2016, with eight written comments on suggestions also made available on Thursday 5 January 2017.
The Redistribution Committee found the suggestions to the redistribution and the comments on suggestions to be valuable contributions and is appreciative of the time and effort expended by all those who contributed. In developing its proposal, the Redistribution Committee carefully considered all matters in each of these suggestions and comments on suggestions. The redistribution proposal has been informed by these matters, and complies with all relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The Electoral Act requires Tasmania to be divided into the same number of electoral divisions as the number of members of the House of Representatives to be chosen in Tasmania at a general election. As Tasmania is entitled to five members of the House of Representatives, the Redistribution Committee has proposed five electoral divisions for Tasmania.
In making its proposed redistribution, the Electoral Act imposes two strict numerical requirements on the Redistribution Committee. These two numerical requirements provide an overall constraint to ensure that there are approximately equal numbers of electors in each electoral division so that each elector in Tasmania has equality of representation in the House of Representatives.
All proposed electoral divisions are required to be within the range of plus and minus 10 per cent of the current enrolment quota. At the end of Thursday 1 September 2016, the day on which the redistribution commenced, 375,072 electors were enrolled in Tasmania. The current enrolment quota was therefore 75,014. As the Electoral Act requires electoral divisions to be within the range of plus and minus 10 per cent of this quota, the Redistribution Committee was required to construct electoral divisions which contain between 67,513 and 82,515 electors.
All proposed electoral divisions are also required to be within the range of plus and minus 3.5 per cent of the projected enrolment quota at the projection time of Friday 14 May 2021. As the number of electors projected to be enrolled in Tasmania at this time is 384,915, and the projected enrolment quota is 76,983, the Redistribution Committee was required to construct electoral divisions which are projected to contain between 74,289 and 79,677 electors on Friday 14 May 2021.
In relation to each proposed electoral division, the Redistribution Committee is also required by the Electoral Act to give due consideration to:
The Redistribution Committee can only balance the different criteria against each other so far as they affect each of the five electoral divisions in Tasmania, and try and achieve the best balance overall. Given the primacy of the two numerical requirements, it is impossible to satisfy all the statutory criteria to the same extent in each electoral division.
The redistribution proposal covers:
The Redistribution Committee proposes retaining the names of the five electoral divisions in Tasmania.
This proposal is consistent with:
The Redistribution Committee’s reasons for this proposal are set out in Chapter 2 of this report.
The Redistribution Committee was required to alter the divisional boundaries as two of the five electoral divisions fell outside the range for the permissible maximum and minimum number of projected electors as at Friday 14 May 2021. As a result of the geographic location of electors in Tasmania, the Redistribution Committee did not consider that meeting the requirements of the Electoral Act was simply a matter of transferring electors from the Division of Franklin to the proposed Division of Braddon.
As a consequence of ensuring the proposed redistribution met the numerical requirements, and accounting for the other factors to be considered under the Electoral Act, the Redistribution Committee made changes to the boundaries of all five electoral divisions in Tasmania. The Redistribution Committee proposes altering the current electoral division boundaries such that:
In moving these areas, the Redistribution Committee was mindful to consider the legislative requirements.
The Redistribution Committee considers the proposed redistribution of Tasmania will result in electoral divisions which:
This proposal is also consistent with elements of the suggestions to the redistribution and comments on suggestions which advocated changes to the divisional boundaries.
Overall, 21,809 electors enrolled in Tasmania (or 5.81 per cent of all electors enrolled in Tasmania on Thursday 1 September 2016) will change their federal electoral division as a result of the proposed redistribution.
Interested individuals and organisations are able to consider the Redistribution Committee’s proposed names and boundaries of electoral divisions in Tasmania, together with the Redistribution Committee’s reasons for this proposed redistribution. Those interested can then provide objections to the proposal, together with comments on objections, for consideration by the augmented Electoral Commission.
All objections and comments on objections received, together with oral submissions made at any inquiry, will be considered by the augmented Electoral Commission as part of developing their proposed redistribution prior to making a final determination of the names and boundaries of electoral divisions in Tasmania.
Chapter 3 outlines the timetable for this determination to be made.
Changes to electoral divisions as a result of this redistribution will apply from the day on which a notice of determination is published in the Gazette. This notice will be published on Tuesday 14 November 2017.
Electoral events will not be contested on these new federal electoral divisions until a writ is issued for a federal general election following the expiry or dissolution of the House of Representatives.
The AEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.