The three ACT electorates will be named Ginninderra (based on Belconnen), Brindabella (based on Tuggeranong) and Molonglo (based on central Canberra, Woden and Weston) under the provisional electoral redistribution announced yesterday.
The choice has received support from the two major parties and the independents.
The new boundaries put the Woden suburbs of Torrens, Pearce and Chifley into Brindabella to ensure one-vote, one-value as required by the Electoral Act. The Oaks Estate goes to Molonglo as do the new Gungahlin suburbs and Hall goes to Ginninderra.
The boundaries are expected to help the Liberals get an additional seat and will detract from Independent Dennis Stevenson’s chances (see comment).
The boundaries also received broad support, though there were some concerns. ACT politicians generally took the line that the committee had done a good job and that it was now for them to bow out and let anyone in the community who wanted to object to do so in the 28 days allowed. (See advertisement Page x.)
The committee said the names fitted several criteria: they would not be confused with federal electoral names; they would not be confused with existing names; they would be easily recognisable; they were of Aboriginal origin.
Ginninderra meant “”sparkling like the stars”, Molonglo meant “”like the sound of thunder” and Brindabella meant “”two kangaroo rats”.
“”For generations of Canberrans, Brindabella is the name associated with the mountain range which dominates the southern horizon of Canberra,” it said
The names are likely to receive widespread community acceptance. The Labor Party said in a submission that the names should be of Aboriginal origin settled upon after consultation with Aboriginal groups. The committee said it had consulted with Aboriginal groups over the names.
The Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, said she liked the names.
The Liberal Party suggested Ginninderra, Brindabella and Burley Griffin. Its spokesman on electoral matters, Gary Humphries, said he thought the committee’s names were excellent. Indeed, there was an argument that Molonglo was a better name than Burley Griffin.
“”The names were descriptive, not confusing and a good result,” he said.
The names received support from the independents.
On the boundaries, the committee said they had to conform to legal requirements. It said placement of the seven-member electorate in the north would have involved boundaries that disrupted too many communities of interest. Having the large electorate in the south was viable, but on balance would have been more disruptive of community interests than having it in the centre.
The committee noted Independent Michael Moore’s argument that the central electorate should be the larges as it would contain the Civic area, “”the prime cultural, business, planning area, which is the focus of Canberra.” The committee thought this was the hub of Canberra.
It rejected the Turner Residents’ Association view that older Belconnen be in Molonglo and newer Gungahlin be in Ginninderra. It cited strong transport links between Gungahlin and central Canberra and the strong focus to Belconnen of the older suburbs like Aranda, Macquarie and Cook.
On making up the numbers for Brindabella it rejected submissions from Labor, the Liberals and Michael Moore. It thought it better to excise a self-contained group or several suburbs from Woden rather than using an arbitrary line. It thought Chifley-Pearce-Torrens was a better excision than any combination from Farrer, Mason, Isaacs, O’Malley and Swinger Hill. This was because the three suburbs shared schools, had lesser roads as internal boundaries between them and had greater external main-road boundaries between them collectively and other suburbs.
Mr Humphries said, “”We’re happy. Some Woden suburbs had to go. We can live with the result. Two of the three were ones we suggested.”
Ms Follett said the committee had done a good job. It was now for the community to comment.
Objections can be made in the next 28 days. The augmented Electoral Commission will then hear them, if necessary in public, and make a final determination.
Independent Dennis Stevenson said he had not yet seen the boundaries and had not made up his mind in which electorate he would stand.
Independents Michael Moore and Helen Szuty said they were delighted with the names. Mr Moore said the politicians had had their say; it was now only for people directly affected to have theirs.
Ms Szuty questioned whether Chifley should have gone to Brindabella. It was an early Woden suburb and very close to Woden town centre. The use of private-school catchment was not valid as a criterion to put it and Pearce and Torrens together in Brindabella. She would have preferred Farrer-Mawson-Isaacs-O’Malley to have gone to Brindabella.