CITY of Whittlesea are among 10 Victorian local councils to undergo an electoral structure review in 2023-24.
The Local Government Act 2020 has introduced several changes, including that all metropolitan, interface and regional city councils must have single-councillor ward electoral structures.
The reviews, an on-going process throughout 2023-24 across 39 councils, are conducted by two electoral representation advisory panels, appointed by the Minister for Local Government.
The panel will make a recommendation to the minister on electoral structure for councils under review.
The 11 councils, under round three of the program, have been divided into three groups, for public information sessions to announce the review, explain the processes and open the submission period.
While all round three councils must move to single-councillor ward electoral structures, the panels are considering the appropriate numbers of councillors and wards for each council, location of ward boundaries and ward names.
The Victorian Electoral Commission, VEC, provides technical and administration support to the panels.
The panels encourage Victorians, particularly those in local council areas under review, to add to the review process and have their say.
People interested in making a submission to the preliminary report can map the ward boundaries for their proposed electoral structure online, using the tool available on the VEC website as part of their submission.
The review process for the City of Whittlesea will be: public information sessions on October 23 and 24; preliminary report published, and response submissions period opens on October 25; and response submissions close at 5pm on November 15.
