WA to lose federal seat to Victoria under new AEC ruling

• The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has announced WA will lose one federal seat with Victoria to gain one
• The Northern Territory will also lose one seat, though it currently only affects voter registration
• The seats are allocated according to population, with WA’s population growth remaining relatively stagnant
• WA will decrease from 16 to 15 seats across the state, while Victoria will increase from 38 to 39 seats
• The AEC hasn’t said what seat will go, but either Hasluck or Burt have previously been tipped to be affected
• A public consultation will now be undertaken to decide how WA’s seats should change

Western Australia will lose one of its federal seats to Victoria, under a change announced by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

WA will decrease from 16 to 15 seats overall, while Victoria will increase from 38 to 39 seats.

The Australian Electoral Commissioner, Tom Rogers, said the AEC reviews the seats after each election and uses population growth to determine the allocation.

“The figures show the population has increased sufficiently to result in Victoria increasing its entitlement by one seat,” he said.

“At the same time, the determination of entitlement requires Western Australia and the Northern Territory to each decrease by one seat,” he added.

However, the decision to decrease the NT by one seat will only affect voter registration at this stage.

The AEC hasn’t announced which seat will be cut in WA, or how the boundaries will be redrawn.

Instead, a public consultation period will be held later this year.

“Redistribution Committees will be appointed and the public will soon be invited to make suggestions and comments on matters affecting the drawing of federal electoral boundaries and the naming of electoral divisions,” said AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers.

When news of the redistribution first broke last year, it was widely tipped either Hasluck or Burt would be cut, as they’re both new seats with relatively low population growth.

The seat of Hasluck is currently held by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt, who was promoted to Indigenous Affairs Minister by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the wake of the 2019 election.

While, the seat of Burt is held by Labor MP Matt Keogh, who won the seat after it was created in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

Both men are considered extremely valuable within their respective parties, who will lobby the AEC to allow their seats to remain.

However, regardless of the public consultation and political lobbying, the AEC has the final say on the redistribution.