Why is Western Australia undergoing a redistribution?
Western Australia is undergoing a redistribution because the number of members of the House of Representatives it is entitled to has increased from 15 to 16 as a result of a determination made by the Electoral Commissioner on Thursday 27 July 2023.
Sub-section 59(2) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Electoral Act) specifies that a redistribution process should be undertaken when:
- the number of members of the House of Representatives to which a state or territory is entitled has changed, or
- the number of electors in more than one-third of the electoral divisions in a state (or one of the electoral divisions in the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory) deviates from the average divisional enrolment by over ten per cent for a period of more than two months, or
- a period of seven years has elapsed since the last redistribution process was determined.
The redistribution formally commenced on Wednesday 9 August 2023.
How many federal electoral divisions will there be after the redistribution?
Western Australia is now entitled to 16 federal electoral divisions, which is an increase of one from 15.
Where will the new electoral division be?
Individuals and organisations are able to propose where the new electoral division should be located at two stages of the redistribution process:
- the suggestions and comments on suggestions stage, and
- the objections and comments on objections stage.
The Redistribution Committee will consider any ideas it receives in suggestions and comments on suggestions advocating the location of a new federal electoral division and in their proposed redistribution will indicate where the new electoral division is to be located, together with reasons for the proposal.
Individuals and organisations can object to the Redistribution Committee's proposed new electoral division. Objections may agree or disagree with the Redistribution Committee’s proposal. Any ideas received in objections and comments on objections advocating for a particular location of the new federal electoral division will be considered by the augmented Electoral Commission for Western Australia, who is ultimately responsible for determining the federal electoral divisions in Western Australia.
Will the boundaries of the current electoral divisions change?
Electoral divisions are required to fall within two numerical ranges:
- the number of electors enrolled in each federal electoral division as at Wednesday 9 August 2023 must be between minus 10 per cent and plus 10 per cent of the redistribution quota
- as far as practicable, the projected number of electors enrolled in each federal electoral division in Western Australia at the projection time would be between minus 3.5 per cent and plus 3.5 per cent of the projected enrolment quota.
Creating an electoral division will, of necessity, require consequential boundary changes and elector movements across the state to ensure that all electoral divisions remain within the two numerical ranges.
Do all Western Australia federal electoral divisions meet the requirement?
No. On the boundaries in place on Wednesday 9 August 2023, and using the revised projected enrolment data, 12 of Western Australia’s 15 federal electoral divisions do not meet this requirement.
|
Electoral division |
Enrolment as at Wednesday 9 August 2023 |
Revised projected enrolment at Friday 24 March 2028 |
Is the requirement met? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Brand |
122,608 |
135, 959 |
No
|
|
Burt |
116,852 |
127,708 |
No
|
|
Canning |
119,832 |
131,728 |
No
|
|
Cowan |
124,073 |
129,525 |
No
Also, current enrolment for the Division of Cowan is close to being more than 10 per cent over the redistribution quota |
|
Curtin |
120,661 |
128,489 |
No
|
|
Durack |
123,278 |
127,659 |
No
|
|
Forrest |
116,614 |
123,141 |
Yes |
|
Fremantle |
120,007 |
131,747 |
No
|
|
Hasluck |
122,855 |
136,470 |
No
|
|
Moore |
120,509 |
124,919 |
Yes |
|
O’Connor |
120,803 |
123,236 |
Yes |
|
Pearce |
119,233 |
133,344 |
No
|
|
Perth |
123,454 |
131,959 |
No
|
|
Swan |
122,417 |
132,227 |
No
|
|
Tangney |
122,930 |
127,734 |
No
|
Provision of revised enrolment projection data by the ABS has resulted in the recalculation of the enrolment projection for each electoral division in Western Australia at the projection time of Friday 24 March 2028. The projected enrolment quota for Western Australia did not need to be recalculated following the provision of revised enrolment projection data by the ABS as the estimated total number of electors enrolled in Western Australia at the projection time did not change.
Note: To access maps of electoral divisions that existed at different points in time, visit the electorates section in the Parliamentary Library’s Parliamentary Handbook Online Electorates (aph.gov.au). Within the Handbook, you can select electoral divisions at different points in time for comparison, overlay them on top of each other, and view the maps to observe the historical evolution of electoral boundaries, including divisions that have been retired over the years. This resource provides a comprehensive view of electoral divisions and changes to these divisions dating back to the first federal election in 1901.
What is the result of requirement not being met?
Inserting a new electoral division into Western Australia will require some consequential changes to other electoral division boundaries. This is because creating a new electoral division is not simply a case of dividing two electoral divisions into three as doing so will result in electoral divisions which do not meet the numerical requirements.
Because the requirement to be within the specified range for both enrolment as at Wednesday 9 August 2023 and projected enrolment as at Friday 24 March 2028 is not met by all 15 of Western Australia's federal electoral divisions, the boundaries of these electoral divisions will need to change.
Changes will be made to some or all of the boundaries of Western Australia's federal electoral divisions. Changes may be made to those federal electoral divisions which meet the requirement as a consequence of making changes to the boundaries of those federal electoral divisions which do not meet the requirement. This is to ensure that all of Western Australia's federal electoral divisions meet the requirement.
Will the names of the current electoral divisions change?
The names of the current electoral divisions may or may not change.
Individuals and organisations are able to propose alternative names for electoral divisions at two stages of the redistribution process:
- the suggestions and comments on suggestions stage, and
- the objections and comments on objections stage.
The Redistribution Committee will consider any ideas it receives in suggestions and comments on suggestions advocating a change of name for a federal electoral division and in their proposed redistribution will indicate whether it has or has not proposed changing the name of a federal electoral division, together with reasons for the proposal.
Individuals and organisations can object to the Redistribution Committee's proposed names of federal electoral divisions. Objections may agree or disagree with the Redistribution Committee’s proposal. Any ideas received in objections and comments on objections advocating a change of name for a federal electoral division will be considered by the augmented Electoral Commission for Western Australia, who is ultimately responsible for determining the names of the federal electoral divisions in Western Australia.
Information about the names of current federal electoral divisions in Western Australia
How do current electoral division names meet the guidelines for naming electoral divisions?
The Guidelines for naming federal electoral divisions were developed by the AEC from recommendations made by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in 1995 in its Report on the Effectiveness and Appropriateness of the Redistribution Provisions of Parts III and IV of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. These guidelines are non-binding but may be referred to by the Redistribution Committee for Western Australia or the augmented Electoral Commission for Western Australia to assist with their decision making process.
The extent to which the names of Western Australia's current federal electoral divisions meet these guidelines is displayed below.
|
Electoral division |
Is the electoral division named for an Australian Prime Minister? |
Is the electoral division name that of an original Federation electoral division? |
Is the electoral division named for an aboriginal person or word? |
||
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Information about current electoral division names
|
|
Origins of name
The Division of Brand is named for Sir David Brand KCMG, 1912–79. Brand was Premier of Western Australia (1959–71).
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 31 August 1984 and was first represented in 1984.
More information
Biographical information about Sir David Brand from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Burt is named for succeeding generations of the Burt family for their signifcant contributions to the justice system and for their wider contributions to public service, specifically:
- Sir Archibald Paull Burt KT, 1810–79, who was appointed the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1861,
- Septimus Burt, 1847–1919, whose public roles included that of Attorney-General of the colony of Western Australia (1890–97) at the time of colonial self-government, and
- The Honourable Sir Francis Theodore Page Burt AC KCMG QC, 1918–2004, who served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Chief Justice of Western Australia, Lieutenant Governor of Western Australia and Governor of Western Australia (1990–93).
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 19 January 2016 and was first represented in 2016.
More information
Biographical information about Sir Archibald Paull Burt and Septimus Burt from the Australian Dictionary of Biography and about the Honourable Sir Francis Theodore Page Burt from Government House Western Australia.
Origins of name
The Division of Canning is jointly named for:
- Sadie Miriam Canning MBE, 1930–2008. Sadie Canning was Western Australia’s, and possibly Australia’s, first Indigenous Australian nurse and matron who made a significant contribution to Australian health and Indigenous outcomes; and
- Alfred Wernam Canning, 1860–1936. Alfred Canning was a surveyor who surveyed routes for the rabbit-proof fence from Starvation Harbour to Cape Keraudren and stockroutes to bring cattle from the Kimberley district to feed those working the Western Australian goldfields.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 11 May 1949 and was first represented in 1949.
The electoral division was jointly named 2 August 2021 and was first represented for the joint names in 2022.
More information
Biographical information about Alfred Wernam Canning from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Biographic information about Sadie Miriam Canning from the State Library of Western Australia.
Origins of name
The Division of Cowan is named for Edith Dircksey Cowan OBE, 1861–1932. Cowan was the first woman elected to any Parliament in Australia, state or Commonwealth, when she was elected in 1921 as the Member for West Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 31 August 1984 and was first represented in 1984.
More information
Biographical information about Edith Dircksey Cowan from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Curtin is named for John Joseph Ambrose Curtin, 1885–1945. Curtin was Prime Minister of Australia (1941–45) and a Member of the House of Representatives (1928–31 and 1934–45).
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 11 May 1949 and was first represented in 1949.
More information
Biographical information about John Joseph Ambrose Curtin from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Durack is named for succeeding generations of the Durack family who were pioneers and developers of the Kimberley region, including:
- Patrick Durack, 1834–98, who took up land on the Ord River in the East Kimberley in 1882,
- W J Durack who worked as a doctor in the Marble Bar and Murchinson district and was the first to diagnose leprosy in the Aboriginal people of this area,
- Michael Patrick Durack, 1865–1950, who promoted the development of the northern parts of Western Australia,
- Dame Mary Gertrude Durack DBE AC, 1913–94, the author and historian who wrote about the outback, Australian settlers, the history of missionaries in Western Australia and her family's struggles and achievements as pioneers in the Kimberley region,
- Elizabeth Durack OBE, 1915–2000, the artist whose works capture remote parts of north and central Western Australia,
- Kimberley Michael Durack, 1917–1968, who established the Ord River Research Station, which led to irrigated farming around Kununurra, and
- Peter Drew Durack, 1926–2008, who was a Senator for Western Australia (1971–1993) and introduced the Freedom of Information Act.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 18 December 2008 and was first represented in 2010.
More information
Biographical information about members of the Durack family is available from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Forrest is named for Sir John Forrest, 1847–1918. Forrest was an active member of the Constitutional Conventions that led to the Commonwealth of Australia and a member of the House of Representatives (1901–18).
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 13 September 1922 and was first represented in 1922.
More information
Biographical information about Sir John Forrest from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Fremantle is named after the City of Fremantle. The city was named after Captain Charles Howe Fremantle who arrived at the Swan River Colony on 2 May 1829, hoisted the British flag on the South Head, and took formal possession in the name of His Majesty King George IV, of 'all that part of New Holland which is not included within the territory of New South Wales'.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 5 December 1900 and was first represented in 1901.
More information
Information about the City of Fremantle can be found on the Landgate website.
Origins of name
In recognition of their service to Australia, the electoral division is jointly named in honour of:
- Rt Hon Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG GCMG GCVO, 1905–93. Hasluck was a diplomat, Member of the House of Representatives (1949–69) and a Governor-General of Australia (1969–74), and
- Dame Alexandra Margaret Martin Hasluck AD, 1908–93, a noted author.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 20 November 2000 and was first represented in 2001.
More information
Biographical information about the Rt Hon Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck and Dame Alexandra Margaret Martin Hasluck from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Moore is named for George Fletcher Moore, 1798–1886. Throughout the 1830s Moore explored a number of areas in Western Australia and was appointed Advocate-General of the Colony of Western Australia in 1834.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 11 May 1949 and was first represented in 1949.
More information
Biographical information about George Fletcher Moore from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of O'Connor is named for Charles Yelverton O'Connor, 1843–1902. In 1891, O'Connor became Western Australia's engineer-in-chief and was responsible for designing Fremantle Harbour and the pipeline which supplies Kalgoorlie and other goldfields with water.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 28 February 1980 and was first represented in 1980.
More information
Biographical information about Charles Yelverton O'Connor from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Pearce is named for Sir George Foster Pearce, 1870–1952. Pearce was a Senator for Western Australia (1901–38) and served as Acting Prime Minister for seven months in 1916.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 31 March 1989 and was first represented in 1990.
More information
Biographical information about Sir George Foster Pearce from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Origins of name
The Division of Perth is named after the City of Perth. Under instructions from the Secretary for the Colonies, Sir George Murray, the new town and future seat of government in the Colony of Western Australia was called Perth. Murray was a Perthsire man and represented his birthpace in the House of Commons.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 5 December 1900 and was first represented in 1901.
More information
Information about the City of Perth can be found on the Landgate website.
Origins of name
The Division of Swan is named after the Swan River. The river was named in 1697 by the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh after the famous black swans of the area.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 5 December 1900 and was first represented in 1901.
Origins of name
The Division of Tangney is named in honour of Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney DBE, 1907–85. As a Senator for Western Australia (1943–68), Tangney was the first woman member of the Senate.
Creation of electoral division
The first electoral division of this name was created on 19 April 1974 and was first represented in 1974.
More information
Biographical information about Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
When will the redistribution come into effect?
Changes to federal electoral divisions as a result of this redistribution will apply from the day on which a notice of determination is published in the Commonwealth Notices Government Gazette. This notice will be published on 24 September 2024.
Electoral events will not be contested on these new federal electoral divisions until a writ is issued for a general election following the expiry or dissolution of the House of Representatives.
Should a writ for a general election be issued before the notice of determination is published, a mini-redistribution will be conducted. For further information, see:
ON THIS PAGE
- Why is Western Australia undergoing a redistribution?
- How many federal electoral divisions will there be after the redistribution?
- Where will the new electoral division be?
- Will the boundaries of the current electoral divisions change?
- Do all Western Australia federal electoral divisions meet the requirement?
- What is the result of requirement not being met?
- Will the names of the current electoral divisions change?
- Information about the names of current federal electoral divisions in Western Australia
- When will the redistribution come into effect?