Donnybrook-Balingup’s move to O’Connor electorate confirmed, Waroona to remain in Canning

Donnybrook-Balingup is set to be moved into the electorate of O’Connor following the AEC’s announcement of the final results for the West Australian redistribution. The move comes despite the shire publicly speaking out against the move and writing an official objection to the boundary change. In the letter penned by shire president Vivienne MacCarthy and now-former chief executive officer Garry Hunt in June, the shire cited its closer connection to other shires in Forrest and warned electors could be disenfranchised by the move. “The prescribed factors to be taken into account by the AEC when reviewing electoral (changes) comprehensively show that the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup has a greater strength of community interest, communication and transport links to the Forrest electorate as opposed to the O’Connor electorate,” it read. In the AEC’s reasons for maintaining its decision, it was noted if Donnybrook-Balingup stayed in Forrest, O’Connor’s enrolled voter number would drop below the mandated range due to other redistributions to make room for the new Bullwinkel electorate. “The inclusion of the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup in a different electoral division would require large compensating changes to a number of electoral divisions which would have similarly strong claims regarding the electoral division they should be placed in,” it read. According to the AEC, the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 dictates Federal electorates must remain within 10 per cent of 113,508 voters. O’Connor is set to lose a number of local government areas in the north-east of Perth, reducing its number below the minimum threshold without Donnybrook-Balingup. The Shire of Waroona will have its wishes answered, however, as it has avoided moving into Forrest for the second time. The AEC acknowledged keeping Waroona in Canning would “minimise voter movement” and could be done without needing to make any other changes to boundaries.