REGION SAYS NO TO COX

ABOUT half of all objections to the redrawing of Australia’s electoral boundaries concerned the controversial new electorate of Cox.

Objections were evenly split between calling for the scrapping of the electorate’s new name and arguing against the proposed boundary changes — particularly the loss of Colac.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s proposed redistribution report received 413 objection submissions in the month after its release, with 201 relating to the electorates of Cox, Corio and Wannon.

The commission’s draft boundaries would abolish the existing electorate of Corangamite, sending Colac to the Wannon Electorate in the west, and merging a chunk of Geelong’s southern suburbs — including Highton and Belmont — into the Corio electorate.

The remainder of Corangamite – and all of the Bellarine east of Moolap, formerly within Corio – would be rebranded Cox.

More than 100 objections concerned the electorate’s rebranding, most of which either referred to the loss of its former indigenous name or the new label’s susceptibility to lewd jokes. “Come on, keep some charm, history, Aboriginal context and character in our electorate name. Very unhappy,” Amanda Mitchell said in her objection. “What self-respecting woman would aspire to be the Member for Cox?” Roger Sanders submitted.

The proposed name was inspired by Mary Cox, a physical education pioneer who hosted swimming carnivals in Queenscliff in the early 1900s.

About 100 submissions objected to the boundary shift for the region, with the majority of those concerning the loss of Colac from the proposed Cox electorate. Despite being an objection process, many submissions supported the changes, with nine supporting the Cox name change and 30 supporting the boundary shifts for Cox, Corio and Wannon.