COUNCIL RAISES CONCERNS OVER DIVISIONAL BOUNDARIES

Scenic Rim Regional Council has raised a number of concerns with the Electoral Commission of Queensland over proposed local government boundary changes across the region ahead of the 2020 council elections.

At its Ordinary Meeting this week, Council acknowledged the submissions of community members and associations to the boundary review and reaffirmed Council's original position on proposed divisional boundaries, recommending this be communicated to the electoral commission.

Mayor Greg Christensen said the divisional boundaries proposed for the Scenic Rim by the Queensland Electoral Commission were significantly different to those in Council's submission in March 2019.

"There are issues of community connectivity, with Aratula being split between Divisions 5 and 6, and some boundaries around river systems, in the model proposed by the electoral commission," he said.

"There is also the potential for confusion in the community, approaching the election, with the number and size of the amendments to the current divisional boundaries as many residents may find themselves in another division.

"I would ask that the Electoral Commission of Queensland take responsibility for communicating these changes to avoid confusion for affected constituents approaching the next local government elections in March 2020."