Divisions should remain

IMAGINE the implications if both state and federal governments abolished electorates.

All of our political representation and decisions would likely be from the major cities. Country areas would be more severely disadvantaged.

Undivided may work well in a large metropolitan area with a concentrated population or a regional council with only one major population centre. However, in a regional council whose boundaries stretch further than from Brisbane to Nambour and has four major population areas, Innisfail (10,000), Tully (3500), Mission Beach (2400) and Cardwell (1000), one doesn’t have to be a maths professor to see that the town with the largest population could accrue the majority or all the elected members.

Currently, councillors are elected on a divisional area elector basis. This is a fair method where each resident has equal representation. It has worked for decades. Why meddle with something that is not broken?

Sadly, some politicians only concentrate their efforts where they are likely to get the most votes.

The previous Johnstone and Cardwell Shire Councils went through boundary redistribution many times, however if my memory is correct, the question of divisions or not only surfaced once.

A thorough survey of much more than five weeks was conducted and the answer was convincingly that divisions should remain. Mal Mallyon, Tully Heads