Council & Business
19 February, 2024
Maryborough Ward to be split into four new wards
Ahead of the October local government elections, the State Government is amending the Central Goldfields Shire’s electoral ward structure — dividing the existing Maryborough Ward into four new wards. Under the amendment, the municipalities...
Ahead of the October local government elections, the State Government is amending the Central Goldfields Shire’s electoral ward structure — dividing the existing Maryborough Ward into four new wards.
Under the amendment, the municipalities Flynn, Paddys Ranges and Tullaroop wards will remain, however the Maryborough Ward will be replaced by four new wards — central, north, east and western Maryborough wards.
The changes come following a review by an Electoral Representation Advisory Panel, after the Local Government Act 2020 outlawed certain types of electoral structures.
The advisory panel began its review process for the Central Goldfields over 12 months ago, handing down three options for the local municipalities ward structure moving forward.
Option one proposed the shire be unsubdivided with seven councillors, option two considered the number of wards be reduced to three with six councillors and the third option — which would see the Maryborough Ward split into four.
In April last year, the Central Goldfields Shire Council wrote to the advisory panel in support of the third option — splitting the Maryborough Ward.
In feedback provided to the advisory panel, one resident argued against multi-councillor wards, suggesting the number of councillors be reduced to five, while another resident argued for increasing the number of councillors to eight — with four representing the Maryborough Ward and four representing the remainder of the shire.
The shire’s current electoral structure sees seven councillors representing four wards, with councillors Liesbeth Long, Anna De Villiers and Chris Meddows-Taylor in the Flynn, Tullaroop and Paddys Ranges wards, while councillors Sproull, Grace La Vella, Geoff Lovett and Gerard Murphy represent the Maryborough Ward.