A plan to carve Jerilderie off the western flank of the NSW electorate of Albury has been met with opposition.
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The NSW Electoral Commission on Monday unveiled boundary changes as part of a redistribution which will apply from the 2023 state election.
The draft recommends Jerilderie and its surrounds be shifted from Albury to the seat of Murray to even out the population of the seats.
Murrumbidgee Shire mayor Ruth McRae, who lives at Jerilderie, is not happy, saying Liberal MP Justin Clancy had worked hard to represent the area.
"To lump us in with an electorate that is already large and dispersed doesn't give you that level of surety you're going to get that representation," Cr McRae said.
"It's also advantageous that your local member is part of the government that is running the show.
"We're very disappointed, we're a community of 1500 people, rural and urban, and I don't think taking us out of Justin's electorate and putting us into another is going to make a huge difference with the numbers."
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Mr Clancy was also downcast at the decision.
"Obviously the redistribution recognises the Albury electorate, the population there is growing and currently sits above the threshold, but all the same I'm saddened at the prospect of Jerliderie not being in the Albury electorate," Mr Clancy said.
"It's a wonderful community and I've appreciated the opportunity to work with Murrumbidgee Shire, Ruth McRae as mayor and John Scarce as general manager."
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers member Helen Dalton, who defeated the Nationals to become the MP for Murray last year, said there was some sense in Jerilderie joining her electorate which includes Berrigan, Deniliquin and Griffith.
"If you look at redistributing boundaries it's probably logical it comes in and I will be fighting hard for the people in Jerilderie if they do come in," Mrs Dalton said.
However, she expressed concern at health services for children and retirees reducing in her area so that the population continued to drift to regional cities, such as Albury and Wagga, leaving her electorate sparser.
The electoral commission is taking submissions about its proposals for the state until December 9, with Cr McRae saying her council would provide feedback.
The final boundaries to be adopted will apply from the next election, to be held in 2023.
