Electoral regions of Western Australia

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The current six regions of the Western Australian Legislative Council

The Western Australian Legislative Council was elected from six multi-member electoral regions, which are in turn composed of electoral districts which are used to elect the Legislative Assembly. The current number of electoral regions was established on 22 May 1989.[1] Initially, the South West and Northern Metropolitan regions returned seven members to the Legislative Council, while the other regions each returned five members.[1] This arrangement was changed to have each region return six members[2] for the 2008 Western Australian election, increasing the total number of members from 34 to 36. Before 1989 electoral divisions for the Legislative Council were known as electoral provinces.

The boundaries of electoral regions that applied to the 2021 Western Australian state general election were finalised in November 2019 by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners.[3]

On 16 September 2021, the

McGowan Labor Government introduced the Constitutional and Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Equality) Bill 2021 to abolish the electoral regions and replace them with a system whereby the whole state functions as a single "whole of state" electorate that will now elect 37 members of the Legislative Council.[4] The Bill was passed by Parliament on 17 November 2021 and received the Governor's assent on 24 November 2021. Transitional provisions in the Constitutional and Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Equality) Act 2021 provide that the former provisions in the Electoral Act 1907 continue to apply in respect of a Council vacancy prior to 21 May 2025 and in respect of representation of members elected prior to the amending provisions. This means that by-elections for the Legislative Assembly and any vacancy in relation to a member of the Legislative Council will still be based on the 2019 redistribution, until the 2025 state general election.[5]

Current electoral regions

The current electoral regions structure was created in 1989. Initially, the South West and Northern Metropolitan regions returned seven members to the Legislative Council, while the other regions each returned five members.[1] This arrangement was changed to have each region return six members[2] for the 2008 Western Australian election. A redistribution of boundaries of and divisions in regions took place in 2015 and in 2019. The next redistribution will commence in March 2023 and is likely to be finalised by November of that year.[5]

Name Est. Area
(2017)[6]		 Electors
(2017)		 № Legislative
Assembly districts
(2017)[7]		 Current seat distribution (2021)
Agricultural 1989 281,264 km2 (108,597 sq mi) 101,229 4            
East Metropolitan 1989 3,697 km2 (1,427 sq mi)* 362,932 14            
Mining and Pastoral 1989 2,200,083 km2 (849,457 sq mi) 96,894 4            
North Metropolitan 1989 929 km2 (359 sq mi)* 362,608 14            
South Metropolitan 1989 754 km2 (291 sq mi)* 377,634 15            
South West 1989 44,870 km2 (17,320 sq mi) 205,270 8            
Total 1,506,567 59

Note: The metropolitan regions (marked *) use the 2013 area information.

The structure of the regions prior to the 2015 redistribution was as follows:

Name Est. Area
(2013)		 № Legislative
Assembly districts
(2013)		 Distribution of seats
(2013)
Agricultural 1989 200,091 km2 (77,256 sq mi) 4            
East Metropolitan 1989 3,697 km2 (1,427 sq mi) 14            
Mining and Pastoral 1989 2,280,730 km2 (880,590 sq mi) 5            
North Metropolitan 1989 929 km2 (359 sq mi) 14            
South Metropolitan 1989 754 km2 (291 sq mi) 14            
South West 1989 41,008 km2 (15,833 sq mi) 8            
Total 59

Legend:

 
Labor
  
Liberal
  
National
   Greens  
Shooters and Fishers

Former electoral provinces

Before 1989 electoral divisions for the Legislative Council were known as electoral provinces. The Constitution Acts Amendment Act (No.2) 1963, effective from the 1965 state election, abolished the ten existing three-member provinces, replacing them with 15 two-member provinces. One new province was added at the 1977 state election. Some of the new provinces bore the same names as the previous provinces.

Metropolitan

Name Est. Abolished № of members Notes
East Metropolitan 1977 1983 2
Metropolitan
 1894 1989 3 (1894–1965)
2 (1965–89)
Suburban
known as Metropolitan-Suburban Province from 1900–50.		 1900 1965 3
North Central Metropolitan 1983 1989 2
North-East Metropolitan 1965 1989 2
North Metropolitan 1965 1989 2
South Central Metropolitan 1983 1989 2
South-East Metropolitan 1965 1989 2
South Metropolitan 1965 1989 2

Rural

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987
  2. ^ a b Electoral Amendment and Repeal Act 2005 (No.1 of 2005)
  3. ^ "Electoral Distribution | Electoral Boundaries WA".
  4. ^ Rhiannon Shine and Jacob Kagi (15 September 2021). "Mark McGowan announces sweeping changes to WA's electoral system, abolishing regions". ABC News.
  5. ^ a b "Parliament of Western Australia". Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Districts in the Country Regions | Electoral Boundaries WA". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  7. ^ "2015 Final Boundaries by Region and District". Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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