Background
Under Section 211 of the Local Government Act 1993, councils that are divided into wards must keep ward boundaries under review to ensure the difference in elector numbers between wards does not exceed 10% variance.
During a recent review of Bayside Council’s five wards, using elector numbers provided by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC), two wards were shown to exceed the 10% limit.
Council is required to notify the NSWEC of any changes to ward boundaries by 5 October 2023 to be in effect for the 14 September 2024 local government ordinary elections.
Considerations
Each ward comprises smaller areas that are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) called Census Statistical Areas (SA1s). We have attempted to align boundaries with the SA1 boundaries. In Bayside, SA1s have a population of between 120 and 800, with an average of around 400 people.
We have also tried to align boundaries with man-made or natural features and not unnecessarily split communities of interest where possible.
Proposed changes
The review found Wards 1 and 2 have the most elector growth and are above the 10% variation limit between wards.
Ward 1 covers the suburbs west from Bunnerong Road, Hillsdale, to Sydney Airport. Ward 2 continues west from the Ward 1 boundary and ends before Banksia and Bardwell Valley.
Ward 5 has had relatively lower growth and the lowest number of electors. Ward 5 includes suburbs east of Rockdale and south along the foreshore from Brighton-Le-Sands to Sandringham.
The proposed change affects boundaries for Wards 1, 2, 3 and 5, bringing elector numbers in line with the legislation parameters. Ward 4 remains the same with no boundary changes required.
These changes may affect which Councillor you can vote for in the next local government ordinary elections, and who represents your suburbs in Council decisions.
See our interactive map below showing the proposed changes. You can enter your address to see if your ward will change.
Have your say
You are invited to review the proposed changes to Bayside's ward boundaries and provide your feedback in any of the following ways:
Online: Complete the online submission form below.
Hard copy: Submit a hard copy submission to one of our Customer Service Centres.
Opening hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday at:
Eastgardens Service Centre, Ground Floor, 152 Bunnerong Road, Eastgardens NSW 2036 or
Rockdale Service Centre, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale NSW 2216
Email: haveyoursay@bayside.nsw.gov.au
Post: Bayside Council, PO Box 21, Rockdale NSW 2216.
The closing date for submissions is Thursday 7 September 2023.
Next steps
Your feedback will inform the final boundary changes put forward to Council at their September meeting to ensure the NSWEC and ABS can be notified of the changes by Thursday 5 October 2023.
The ward changes will be in place by the Local Government Elections on Saturday 14 September 2024.
More information
For more information, please contact Council's Governance and Risk team at governance@bayside.nsw.gov.au.
Accessibility
For more accessibility features, click the purple icon at the top of the page.
If you would like the key information and submission form in another format, please contact Council's Community Engagement team on 9562 1597.
