Mitchell Shire Council ward boundaries altered

However, Broadford, Sunday Creek and Reedy Creek have been transferred from central ward to north ward. This includes the areas immediately around Broadford.

Moranding and parts of High Camp and Nulla Vale have been transferred from north ward to central ward, as these areas have connections with Kilmore.

Bylands, Heathcote Junction, Upper Plenty, part of Wandong and the part of Wallan east of the Hume Fwy have been transferred from south ward to central ward. This change splits the growth area, which means the boundaries should last longer. Wallan is divided, but the Hume Fwy boundary is clear.

Overall, about 7000 voters (20 per cent of total enrolment) have been transferred from one ward to another.

The changes are a result of the combination of electoral law with population trends in Mitchell Shire.

Under the Local Government Act, the number of voters in a ward must not vary by more than 10 per cent from the average for the council. This is to ensure equality of voting power for all voters, or “one vote, one value”.

Mitchell Shire has rapid and uneven population growth. Growth is concentrated in the south, around Wallan, which is in the Melbourne Urban Growth Boundary, and is low-moderate elsewhere in the shire.

The current structure was established in 2004, with the north ward based on Seymour, Puckapunyal and Pyalong, the central ward based on Kilmore and Broadford and the south ward based on Wallan.

Since then, the boundaries have kept on shifting to the south as a result of population change, with the north ward growing in area and the south ward shrinking.

As of late last year, the north ward’s enrolment was 18.4 per cent below average, while the south ward’s enrolment was 18.5 per cent above average. The ward boundaries needed to change to bring the wards back to equality.