Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Electoral Boundaries Commission Act 1982 - SECT 5

Function of Commission

5. Function of Commission



(1) Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the
functions of the Commission shall be to divide the State of Victoria into
electoral regions for the Legislative Council and electoral districts for the
Legislative Assembly as often as is necessary from time to time for the
conduct of elections for the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly
with the object of establishing and maintaining electoral regions of
approximately equal enrolment and electoral districts of approximately equal
enrolment and to determine the boundaries thereof.

(2) Subject to and in accordance with section 27 and section 35 of the
Constitution Act 1975 the Commission shall divide Victoria into regions and
districts4.



(3) The Commission must, before beginning to conduct a redivision, publish a
notice in the Government Gazette specifying-

   (a)  the date on which the Commission is to begin conducting the
        redivision;

   (b)  the condition applying in the relevant period under subsection (4)
        which requires the Commission to conduct the redivision;

   (c)  the quota for electoral regions and the quota for electoral districts
        which is to be used as the basis for the redivision.

(4) The Commission must conduct a redivision if any one of the conditions
specified in paragraphs (a) to (d) applies in the relevant period-

   (a)  the number of electors enrolled for a minimum of 3 electoral regions
        or a minimum of 27 electoral districts have varied for a minimum
        period of 2 months by more than 10 per centum from the average
        enrolment of all electoral regions or all electoral districts;

   (b)  the number of electors enrolled for a minimum of 3 electoral regions
        or a minimum of 23 electoral districts have varied for a minimum
        period of 2 months by more than 10 per centum from the average
        enrolment of all electoral regions or all electoral districts and the
        number of electors enrolled for at least 1 of those electoral regions
        or at least 5 of those electoral districts have varied for a minimum
        period of 2 months by more than 20 per centum from the average
        enrolment of all electoral regions or all electoral districts;

   (c)  there have been 2 general elections since the last redivision;

   (d)  section 27 or 35 of the Constitution Act 1975 has been amended to
        change the number of electoral regions or electoral districts.





(5) In this section-

general election means an election at which all the members of the Legislative
Council and the Legislative Assembly have to be elected; quota for electoral
districts means the quota determined by dividing the total number of electors
enrolled as electors for Victoria as at the last day of the month preceding
the date of the notice under subsection (3) by the number of electoral
districts; quota for electoral regions means the quota determined by dividing
the total number of electors enrolled as electors for Victoria as at the last
day of the month preceding the date of the notice under subsection (3) by the
number of electoral regions; relevant period means the period beginning 24
months before the next scheduled general election and ending 18 months before
the next scheduled general election.