VEC put under scrutiny
Davis demands emails
PRESSURE is on the State Government to make public its correspondence with the Victorian Electoral Commission about Geelong’s new ward boundaries.
The VEC rejected claims that the Andrews Government had interfered with its recommendations, and Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins also hit back at the claims, which were made by Opposition local government spokesman David Davis in the Legislative Council.
Mr Davis wants emails between Ms Hutchins and the VEC discussing the Geelong process to be made public.
Mr Davis criticised what he claimed was Ms Hutchins’ “decision to communicate with” the Victorian Electoral Commission.
“This is a point that I am troubled by,” Mr Davis said while debating the Geelong council Bill.
“It is unusual for a minister to, it seems, communicate with the VEC about a particular mechanism.”
Mr Davis said the independence of the VEC should be respected.
“The VEC not only needs to be independent but needs to be seen to be completely and utterly independent,” he said.
“We do not need a situation where, through suggestion, through cajoling, through generous suggestions — if I can put it that way — the VEC is led to any position.”
Ms Hutchins said the accusations were “unfounded and unfair”. “The Liberal Party need to explain why they used parliamentary privilege to make unfounded and unfair accusations,” she said.
“There is no secret that the minister asked the Victorian Electoral Commission to consult Geelong on ward boundaries — it’s in the first line of their report and Mr Davis was told (about it) in Parliament a week ago.”
During the debate, Small Business Minister Philip Dalidakis acknowledged that Ms Hutchins had written to the electoral commission “to ask for advice in drawing up the boundaries and the wards in response to the jury’s request for information”.
He said he would take on notice Mr Davis’s request for those emails to be released.
Mr Davis told the Geelong Advertiser yesterday that he had not received any followup response from the State Government on the issue.
Electoral Commission spokesman Mike Lagastes said the only communication between the parties had been when Local Government Victoria asked the VEC to prepare electoral models using the Citizens’ Jury’s recommended electoral structure.
“The VEC prepared two models completely independently and provided the models to Local Government Victoria,” Mr Lagastes said.
“There was no discussion or correspondence with Minister Hutchins or any of her officials about the design of the electoral models for Greater Geelong City Council other than (that).”