Meander Valley mayor Craig Perkins questions travel in Legistative Council electorate McIntyre

Proposed changes announced in January for new boundaries for the electorates of the Legislative Council will make it harder for elected Legislative Council members to travel both across electorates and to Hobart for sitting days.

The changes propose the creation of two new electorates that shake up the existing electorates of Western Tiers, Apsley and the southern seat of Rumney.

Instead of having boundaries that run from north to south, the two new electorates – McIntyre and Prosser – will run from the west to the east.

“As mayor of a council with significant rural coverage it is my strong belief that the members of the community also have reasonable and fair access to the elected members of other houses of parliament,” Cr Perkins said.

Cr Perkins noted the new changes to the McIntyre electorate would create excessive travel for the elected member, who would have to travel between places like St Helens, Kentish, Scottdale and Flinders Island.

The elected member would also have to travel regularly to Hobart.

Part of the redistribution criteria put forward by the tribunal says it must consider the matter of “the means of communication and travel within the division.”

Cr Perkins said this consideration appeared to have been ignored in the case of new electorate McIntyre.

He added his voice to concerns raised on Tuesday by the mayors of Dorset and Northern Midlands.

Dorset mayor Greg Howard said the council was concerned the new boundaries could leave them under-represented. Northern Midlands mayor David Downie said the council was concerned about the region being split into three different electorates under the proposed changes. The region would be split between the two new electorates and Launceston.

Submissions are being sought by the redistribution panel until February 24.

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