Voters in the October 2017 shire elections will face a new single-electorate system with the announcement that the Shire of Augusta Margaret River has moved to abolish current electoral wards.
The current North, Town and Leeuwin wards will be removed under the new system, allowing voters to select all seven councillors rather than being limited to voting for representatives in their local ward.
Shire President Ian Earl said the move echoed the actions of the “majority of councils” who have shifted to the single electorate system.
“Residents will be able to vote for all candidates seeking office not just those contesting the ward where they live,” he said.
“It will also mean that councillors will be accountable to the whole community rather than just the voters in a smaller ward.”
A review of ward boundaries is required under law to be carried out every 8 years, and according to a statement released by the Shire, the latest review identified the current system had become “progressively unfair and unrepresentative from a one vote one value perspective”.
Shire chief executive Gary Evershed said uneven growth across the Shire as well as challenges faced by the growing community meant the change was needed to tackle issues.
“The interconnected nature of our global ecosystem means we need to be on the front foot when it comes to challenges like climate change adaptation, bush fire mitigation and environmental protection,” he said.
“In addition, we must continue to think strategically about long term financial management, managing sustainable development and population and tourism growth impacts in order to set us up for the future.”
Council voted to support the change after a community consultation period in from October to November last year during which four proposals were made available to the public.
The decision will need to be ratified by the Local Government Advisory Board in Perth but is likely to be accepted and in place for the October 2017 elections.
