NEW boundaries for the Isaacs electorate have been locked in.
Highett and the western part of Moorabbin have moved from Isaacs into Goldstein. The boundary, which used to run along the Frankston train line and South Road, has moved to Chesterville Road.
All of Keysborough, which was previously split between Hotham and Isaacs, is now within the Isaacs boundary. Isaacs has also picked up Springvale South and part of Noble Park from Hotham – the boundary now lies at Heatherton Road.
At the southern boundary, Patterson Lakes, Carrum, Bonbeach, and parts of Chelsea and Chelsea Heights have transferred from Isaacs to Dunkley. The boundary separating Isaacs and Bruce has moved from the train line to the Nepean Highway. That change was opposed by Bruce MP Julian Hill and Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus.
Hill’s submission to the AEC on the changes read “the draft proposal would see Isaacs randomly jump the Dandenong Railway line at Dandenong West. This should be reversed. “Putting a strip of Dandenong into Isaacs is presumably just a device to manage numbers, however it is unnecessary and there are better ways to meet the mathematical requirements without creating such a disruptive and irregular outcome,” Hill said. “The Dandenong Railway line has been the boundary for many decades, reflecting multiple natural communities of interest. The railway in that area is a very hard and natural boundary.”
Dreyfus also wrote to the AEC opposing the changes (pictured above) – he said “the proposed redistribution would unnecessarily disrupt existing communities with strong cultural connections and would create confusion by splitting the new electorate over four local government areas.”
“I do not support the proposal that my Division of Isaacs should cross the railway line into Dandenong West, splitting the Dandenong CBD and commercial area. This proposal does not reflect the community of interest. The area to the south of the railway line which is in Isaacs is commercial and recreational, not residential. The longstanding boundary of the railway line should be maintained,” he said.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 30 October 2024