Sunbury and Macedon Ranges residents are likely to find themselves belonging to different federal electorates once the Victorian federal redistribution is complete.
Many of the 67 suggestions submitted to the Victorian Redistribution Committee advocate a reshuffle of the towns situated in and around Sunbury and Macedon Ranges.
The two areas, which currently sit across the electorates of Bendigo and McEwen, are united within one electorate in the plans offered by most of these submissions.
The National and Liberal parties have proposed moving Woodend, Riddells Creek, Macedon, Kyneton and Heathcote out of the Bendigo electorate and into McEwen.
According to the Nationals’ submission, these smaller regional communities have characteristics distinct from Bendigo.
The Australian Labor Party has suggested moving the lower parts of Macedon Ranges into McEwen.
A new electorate based around Sunbury and Melton, called Fraser, has been proposed by the Greens. Macedon Ranges would also be encompassed within Fraser.
Victorian Redistribution Committee chairman Tom Rogers said population growth would likely lead to significant changes to existing electoral boundaries. Sunbury has experienced rapid population growth, going past 40,000 residents last year, up from 34,721 in 2006, according to the bureau of statistics.
The Australian Electoral Commission will release the redistribution report in April next year for public feedback.
