ALPINE Shire's mayor says it makes sense to include the Kiewa Valley in the Victorian state electorate of Ovens Valley along with the rest of his council area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
John Forsyth was commenting after the Electoral Boundaries Commission decided to remove Dederang, Tawonga and Mount Beauty from the seat of Benambra as part of a redistribution.
From next year's Victorian election they will be in Ovens Valley, which already contains other shire places such as Bright and Myrtleford.
"At the end of the day it's probably better that we're all represented by one member, it makes it easier," Cr Forsyth said.
However, he noted Wodonga, which is in Benambra, has strong ties to Dederang and Mount Beauty.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The commission altered the seat of Ovens Valley, which includes Wangaratta, Cobram and Yarrawonga, because it was 9.3 per cent below the state average population for an electorate.
It contemplated uniting Alpine Shire or taking Rutherglen or Beechworth-Stanley from Benambra to tackle the shortfall.
The commission supported the former against the latter two options on the basis of the bulk of Alpine being in Ovens Valley.
"In contrast, Beechworth and Rutherglen are in Indigo Shire, and it made sense on community of interest grounds to keep the whole of Indigo Shire in Benambra," it concluded.
The move means 2484 voters will be transferred, with population growth in Benambra to offset its loss.
Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy said he had thought that Rutherglen would be returned to his electorate for the first time since 2014 on the basis its residents have more of a link to Wangaratta than Wodonga.
Nevertheless, he has welcomed the changes, noting the seat now has both Falls Creek and Mount Hotham.
It's new margin is 9.4 per cent, compared to 8.9 per cent, while Ovens Valley has swung 0.6 per cent to the Labor Party with the Nationals' hold now 12 per cent.
