Turnbull Government faces electoral wipe-out under proposed redistribution of Victoria’s federal electorates

MALCOLM Turnbull’s one-seat majority could be wiped out in Victoria alone at the next federal election after a shake-up of electoral boundaries favoured Labor in several key seats.

MALCOLM Turnbull’s one-seat majority could be wiped out in Victoria alone at the next federal election after a shake-up of electoral boundaries favoured Labor in several key seats.

The Opposition will start as clear favourites in the new seat of Fraser, in Melbourne’s northwest, which will be created because of Victoria’s booming population growth.

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The boundaries of all 37 existing electorates would also be redrawn under the proposed redistribution, which was revealed by the Australian Electoral Commission on Friday.

The shifting borders of Corangamite and Dunkley — in the state’s southwest and Melbourne’s southeast — mean the marginal seats, both held by government backbenchers, would likely fall to Labor.

With the addition of another new Labor-friendly seat in the ACT, Coalition strategists fear the election could be lost even before a swing against the government.

The proposed changes are another blow to the Prime Minister ahead of what is expected to be his 30th consecutive Newspoll loss on Monday, matching the mark he identified when he challenged Tony Abbott.

Victoria’s federal government MPs face major changes to their electorate boundaries. Picture: Kym Smith

The AEC’s redistribution plan would also change the name of four seats to honour prominent Victorians:

CORANGAMITE would become Cox after Mary Cox, who launched the Herald and Weekly Times’s “Learn to Swim” program with Olympic swimmer Frank Beaurepaire in 1929.

MCMILLAN would be named Monash after war hero and civil engineer Sir John Monash.

MURRAY would become Nicholls after football legend and pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls and Lady Gladys Nicholls, who along with her husband was a key Aboriginal leader.

MELBOURNE Ports would become Macnamara in honour of medical scientist Dame Annie Jean Macnamara.

The new seat of Fraser, which covers Brimbank and part of the Maribyrnong council areas, would be named after former prime minister Malcolm Fraser.

Under the redistribution, nearly 800,000 Victorians — making up almost 20 per cent of the state’s electoral roll — will vote in different seats at the next election, which will be held by May next year.

Labor figures were pleased with some of the recommended changes but believed it could have been worse for the government, which feared one of its rural stronghold seats could have been abolished.

But the loss of Colac from Corangamite puts it on a knife-edge while Dunkley is now notionally a Labor seat.

A government source suggested the adjustments would benefit Michael Sukkar and Julia Banks, who both hold their seats in Melbourne’s east by thin margins.

The redistribution is expected to be finalised by the AEC by July.

Twitter: @tminear