The South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission is an independent, non partisan commission responsible for the compulsory re-drawing of
South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
after each
South Australian
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
election.
The Commission was established in 1975 under an amendment to the
South Australian Constitution to carry out periodic redistributions of the electoral boundaries of the State’s
lower house, the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...
in the
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly ( lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (upper house). General elections are ...
. Originally, these redistributions were to take place after five or more years had elapsed between two general elections held on the same boundaries. After a change to 4 year terms occurred in 1985, this was seen as insufficient and in 1991, following a referendum, this was changed so that redistributions take place following each general election.
When making a redistribution, the Commission is required to ensure that the number of electors in each electoral district does not vary from the electoral quota by more than a permissible tolerance of 10 per cent. The electoral quota is determined by dividing the total number of electors as at the relevant date by the number of electoral districts into which the State is divided. Since 1969 this number has been 47.
The Commission must also have regard to matters which are outlined in section 83(2) of the Constitution Act 1934 (SA), being:
* The desirability of making the electoral redistribution so as to reflect communities of interest of an economic, social, regional or other kind
* The population of each proposed electoral district
* The topography of areas within which new electoral boundaries will be drawn
* The feasibility of communication between electors affected by the redistribution and their parliamentary representative in the House of Assembly
* The nature of substantial demographic changes that the EDBC considers likely to take place in proposed electoral districts between the conclusion of its present proceedings and the next State election
* Any other matter the EDBC thinks relevant.
Following a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
, between 1991 and 2016 the Boundaries Commission was also required to have ensured, as far as practicable, that the redistribution was fair to prospective candidates and groups of candidates, so that if candidates of a particular group attracted more than 50 per cent of the popular vote, including preferences, they would be elected in sufficient numbers to enable a government to be formed. This “fairness” criterion was unique to South Australia and was repealed by the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
government of
Jay Weatherill
Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian politician who was the 45th Premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham as a member of ...
in 2017.
Membership
The Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission consists of 3 members: A chairperson who is the most senior puisne Judge of the
Supreme Court of South Australia appointed by the Chief Justice, the Electoral Commissioner of the
Electoral Commission of South Australia
The Electoral Commission SA is an independent office which forms part of the Government of South Australia, and which conducts parliamentary state elections every four years.
History
In 1907 the then State Electoral Department was establish ...
and the
Surveyor General of South Australia.
[Constitution Act 1934 (SA), section 78]
References
External links
South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission - Official Website
{{Authority control
Electoral commissions in Australia
Elections in South Australia
Boundary commissions
Government agencies of South Australia