Shaping Victoria’s electoral boundaries

Tracing back to the colonial days of the 19th century and the influences that shaped the emergence of representation and responsible government in Victoria, the research paper details the considerable changes that have taken place in the process for determining the size, number, number of voters and boundaries for electorates in our state.

It notes that the evolution of representation was contradictory.

'On the one hand, Victoria was one of the first authorities in the world to allow a full franchise for adult males for the lower house and a secret ballot. On the other hand, restrictions on Legislative Council voting and malapportionment counteracted these progressive measures.'

According to the paper, electoral design went forwards and backwards in the first half of the 20th century, followed by considerable reform in the 1950s.

In the modern era, legislation introduced in 1982 saw the establishment of an independent statutory body, the Electoral Boundaries Commission—including a member of the judiciary—removing electoral design and boundaries from the purview of parliament.

It provided for a redivision when there have been two general elections since the last redivision, with a maximum allowable variation of 10 per cent in the number of voters.

'Over time, the design of electorates evolved away from an informal process to one overseen by independent bodies,' the research paper notes.

The paper includes a number of maps to illustrate the evolution of Victoria’s electoral boundaries.