The redistribution of electoral boundaries will see thousands of voters across Northern Tasmania change electorates.
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This week the Australian Electoral Commission committee released its finalised redistribution report, which features significant changes to the Bass and Lyons electorates.
Voters in West Tamar, north of the main road of Legana, will vote in Bass at the next election.
Bass voters at Prospect Vale and in the Meander Valley will move from Bass to Lyons for the next federal poll.
The changes come after a year-long process by the electoral commission to evenly divide the population of each electorate across the state.
According to the commission, the number of electors in each division shall not deviate from the quota by more than 10 per cent.
The number of electors enrolled in each electoral division in Tasmania must be between 67,513 and 82,515.
Bass Labor MHR Ross Hart was sad to lose Prospect Vale and Meander Valley, but said he would continue to work with constituents until the change at the next election.
“I’ve already met with the mayor and manager of West Tamar to talk about their priority projects,” he said.
“I’m very pleased I’ve still got Flinders Island and Dorset.”
With Brian Mitchell and Justine Keay, Labor holds the respective electorates of Lyons and Braddon.
Mr Hart said including the West Tamar, north to Bass Strait, would centre the electorate around the valley.
“When you think about the iconic status, the electorate now centred on the Tamar River – it makes sense,” he said.
“You’ve got a fantastic tourism and wine region.”
The committee determined the areas of Port Sorell, Northdown, Sassafras and the Narawntapu National Park will be taken from the electorate of Lyons and added to North-West and West Coast electorate, Braddon.
The Latrobe municipality will be reunited in the federal electorate of Braddon.
The municipality was split in a redistribution at the turn of the decade which brought the West Coast into Braddon from Lyons.
Mr Hart was impressed with neighbouring council’s level of cooperation and said the electorates that would see changes effectively had two members assisting them.
“I have a new group of people I endeavour to represent as best I can at the next election,” he said.
The Denison electorate, held by Independent MHR Andrew Wilkie will be renamed the electorate of Clark.
