The federal seat of Higgins in Victoria is set to be abolished at the next federal election, meaning local MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah will either have to contest a new seat, find a place on a Senate ticket or quit politics altogether.
Dr Ananda-Rajah only just won the seat at the 2022 federal election, defeating Liberal Katie Allen.
The Australian Electoral Commission’s Tom Rogers said a redistribution was required to remove a division from Victoria, with a new division named Bullwinkel to be created in Western Australia.
The proposed boundaries for the seat of Bullwinkel will include voters from several Perth Hills suburbs, including Kalamunda and Mundaring, as well as parts of the major south-east suburb of Armadale.
The commissioner said the AEC’s proposal to redraw the boundaries in Victoria and WA will be consulted on, with objections able to be lodged until June 28.
“Under the proposal some significant changes would occur, with the boundaries of Victorian divisions being amended to accommodate the decrease,” Mr Rogers said.
Antony Green says early look at redistribution won’t have major electoral implications
The ABC’s election analyst Antony Green said his early assessment of the redistribution was that Bullwinkel would notionally be a marginal Labor seat based on 2022 results.
“[However] it must be stressed that Labor had historically strong votes in Western Australia at the last election, these are only notional results based on last time … at the next election it will be a new contest entirely,” Mr Green said.
Mr Green said it was not a surprise that an inner-east Melbourne seat was abolished, and that Higgins was always a possibility.
He said the proposed boundary redraw in Victoria was complex and difficult to determine the full implications for, but at a first glance it did not appear to have significant implications for surrounding seats.
‘Obviously disappointed’, says Ananda-Rajah
In a statement, Dr Ananda-Rajah said as the first Labor member for Higgins, she was “obviously disappointed by today’s announcement”.
“This is a draft proposal and there is now a process to go through. We will have more to say once that process is complete,” Dr Ananda-Rajah said.
“In the meantime, I remain a proud member of the Albanese Labor government serving in the national interest, and a voice for the people of Higgins.”
Before the 2022 upset, the division of Higgins was considered a blue ribbon Liberal seat, being held entirely by Liberal MPs since its creation in 1949.
Higgins has been held by two former prime ministers, Harold Holt and Sir John Gorton, and was held by former treasurer Peter Costello for almost 20 years.
Former Higgins MP Katie Allen told Sky News the abolition of her old seat should not be considered a done deal.
“I’d argue if people really want to have their voice heard, now is the time, get on emails, get pen to paper and fight for this.
“These are draft boundaries, there have been plenty of historical precedents where they have been fully overturned or partly overturned.
“Peter Costello, Harold Holt, John Gorton, Kelly O’Dwyer, these are all fabulous members of parliament, this is a historical seat, this is an important seat.”
The abolition of Higgins would also spoil the hopes of a pair of mothers who hoped to campaign at the next election to “job-share” the role of MP.
WA’s newly created seat will be named after Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel, a former prisoner of war who went on to become director of nursing at Melbourne’s Fairfield Hospital.
The commission said naming a division after Vivian Bullwinkel recognised her dedication to honouring the victims of war crimes and her service to nursing and the community.
The prime minister has said he intends to serve a full term, meaning the next federal election would be held in 2025.
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