By Rowan Forster
The bulk of Cardinia Shire appears set to be absorbed by La Trobe MP Jason Wood after another landmark ruling by the Electoral Commission for Victoria (ECV).
Bunyip North, Garfield North, Maryknoll, Tonimbuk and Tynong North will now also fall inside the newly distributed seat, alongside Pakenham, Officer, Nar Nar Goon and the entire Ranges Ward.
The renaming of the controversial McMillan seat to Monash has also been upheld – despite a fight from Indigenous activists to have it titled Bunjileene-Purrine.
Monash MP Russell Broadbent will take responsibility for townships south of the Bunyip River, including Kooweerup, Bayles and Lang Lang.
It comes after the ECV on Wednesday announced the outcome of its deliberations, in response to community feedback and objections.
Mr Wood, who resides in Officer, has already begun meeting with residents in the Cardinia community to hear their concerns.
He highlighted congestion as a hot topic.
“One of the problems we have is that the infrastructure isn’t keeping up with the growth,” he said.
“I get annoyed when the State Government continually releases and rezones land when the infrastructure isn’t there to support it.
“I want to know what road and what rail projects people want me to get behind.”
Influenced by his tenure as a police officer, Mr Wood said he would also push for a joint task force in the south-east to combat youth gangs.
“We want to curb the violent youthful gangs because they end up in the prisons, and can end up working with the bikies in organised crime,” he said.
“The violence and home invasions committed need to stop”.
Redrawn electorate boundaries have historically factored into election results, particularly when key towns and cities are removed.
Mr Broadbent described the redistributions as bitter sweet.
“It was a no brainer that we’d lose some of Pakenham but I didn’t expect we’d lose all of it,” he said.
“We’ll be losing 36,000 people from the Monash-McMillan electorate.
“I’ve represented Pakenham for the whole time I’ve been in the electorate and watched this area change so remarkably that it is now a part of metropolitan Melbourne.
“You can’t be disappointed with re-distributions because you have no hand in their thinking.”
