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Warrnambool City Council will discuss a draft submission to the Warrnambool electoral review at an additional Council meeting on Monday, July 24.
The city’s electoral structure is being reviewed by the independent Electoral Representation Advisory Panel, which will ultimately make a recommendation to the Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne, on a seven-ward structure for Warrnambool.
Warrnambool has been an unsubdivided electorate since 2004 but changes to legislation mean the municipality must return to a single-member ward structure ahead of the 2024 local government elections.
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has released a preliminary report that presents three models for community consideration.
While the advisory panel appears settled on seven wards for Warrnambool, the boundaries and names for each ward have yet to be determined.
“We know that Warrnambool will return to a ward structure and I look forward to discussing with Councillors how that could work in a way that best represents the communities that comprise our municipality as a whole,” Mayor Cr Debbie Arnott said.
“Up for discussion on Monday is a proposed alternative to the three electoral models presented by the VEC.
“I encourage anyone with an interest to have a look at the Council meeting agenda which contains the models proposed by the VEC along with the draft Council submission to the VEC.
“The VEC is still accepting submissions on the proposed changes and anyone can make a submission, provided it is received by 5pm Wednesday, July 26.”
Since the last review, a new Local Government Act was passed which requires that Councils must have a single-member ward structure unless Ministerial discretion is given to consider alternative structures.
This discretion was given to rural shires but not to metropolitan councils or regional cities. This means that Warrnambool City Council will return to a single-member ward electoral structure.