From ‘rotten boroughs’ to independent scrutiny: A history of electoral boundaries in Victoria

Ever heard of a 'rotten borough'? Or maybe a 'potwalloper'? These terms from British political debate in the 18th and 19th centuries reflected a time when the boundaries of electoral districts and the number of Members of Parliament assigned to each were often very arbitrary. A rotten borough was where the local Members would dispense favours to win elections, whereas potwallopers were tiny electorates.

Victoria inherited these practices when 'responsible government' was granted to the colony in the early 1850s. Unlike England, however, all white males could vote (at least in the lower house) by 1858. Yet local district boundaries were arbitrary, and considerable differences existed in the size of electorates. Redistributions occurred irregularly, with Parliament deciding the boundaries and number of seats. In 1876, for example, it debated the boundaries of each of the 55 lower house districts, one by one.

Eventually, reforms took place in Victoria and internationally. By the 1920s, the Victorian surveyor general and two public servants had the job of proposing new electoral boundaries. They followed legislation that stipulated different numbers of electors for metropolitan, urban and country electorates. Meanwhile, the federal Parliament in Canberra created a more independent system for determining boundaries.

An independent Electoral Boundaries Commission was established in Victoria in 1983. It is empowered to alter electoral boundaries, allowing for no more than a 10 per cent difference in the number of electors. Electoral boundary-making has evolved from an arbitrary exercise to being determined by independent bodies. The paper includes a number of maps to illustrate the evolution of Victoria’s electoral boundaries.