BASS Coast Shire Councillor Geoff Ellis was the only person who requested to be heard at an online public hearing last Thursday into the future structure of electorates (wards) in Bass Coast.
But he conceded, after the hearing, that his proposal for a wardless shire, that is one where all nine councillors represent the whole shire, is unlikely to get up.
“They said it was outside the scope of their review. They’re only looking at the two models they’ve published, both with three wards like we have now but with boundary changes.
“I basically reinforced what I said in my submission, that any way they try to divide up the shire will disadvantage someone and in the case of Phillip Island in particular, their voting power will be severely impacted,” said Cr Ellis.
“The stated intent of the VEC boundary review is to ensure that each vote is of equal value. This time round that can only be achieved by removing the boundaries entirely to create one Bass Coast ward with nine councillors,” said Cr Ellis in his submission.
“The last review achieved an equitable result in terms of number of voters per councillor but it created a geographic imbalance in the connection and community of purpose across Western Port Ward.
“Any redrawing of the current boundaries or even changing the number of wards to any number other than one will accentuate that geographic imbalance.”
He said the size of the Western Port Ward, nearly double the area of the other two, made funding for such things as community hall maintenance a problem, with Westernport Ward having almost three times the number of halls as the other wards.
Cr Ellis said he probably favoured Model One, as the best of a bad lot, putting the whole of Phillip Island together in one ward, because while it devalued the Island vote, people on the Island already contacted one of the Island Ward Councillors, even if they were actually located in Western Port.
“There’s an overwhelming community of interest there, but it means you’ll potentially have 15,839 voters on the Island voting for three councillors while only 12,291 in Western Port also get three councillors. It’s no where near ‘one vote one value.
Local government activist Graham Jolly claimed in his submission to the VEC that it would be fairer to have four councillors representing Phillip Island and five representing Western Port and Bunurong, with Western Port three and Bunurong two depending on where you draw the boundary.
Phillip Island resident Natasha Crestani made a submission that supported Model 1 for having the whole of Phillip Island together in one ward, not divided between Western Port and Island wards.
“Could we please join Sunderland Bay/Surf Beach and surrounding with the Island Ward please. Sunderland Bay/Surf Beach issues are specific and distinct to Grantville’s issues for example. The representing councillors for what is called Western Port usually do not live on the Island, are is not properly across the issues here,” she said.
