June 9 2005

Media Release

Green Mayor Responds to Minister's Plan to reduce Councillor Numbers

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Green Mayor Murray Matson is suspicious that the Minister for Local Government is apparently not blocking gerrymanders resulting from his plans to allow Councils to vote to reduce Councillor numbers.

Council Matson states that with out clarification that gerrymanders will be prevented, the local Greens would view the Minister's plan as,

"...just the latest ALP plot to bring in Botany Bay Council style gerrymander onto Council like Randwick where the Greens have established a foothold".

Councillor Matson elaborated this week,

"The Minister for Local Government has ignored the vital question of what sort of voting system will be allowable following a reduction in Councillor numbers.

There are many councillors who favour reducing the numbers on particular Councils in order to surreptitiously trigger the bringing in of a gerrymander.

Under the Local Government Act, different types of voting system have to be used for different ratios of Councillors to wards. Here on Randwick we presently use 'proportional' voting to elect Councillors.

But if we reduced our numbers to just two Councillors per ward then a Botany Bay Council style 'optional preferential' voting system would have to be used.

Under optional preferential voting no Green has any hope of getting elected to the ALP dominated Botany Bay as it is now and none would at Randwick either."