Liberal MP Sarah Henderson to fight proposed electorate name change

A LIBERAL MP has vowed to fight a proposed name change to her Victorian electorate, which has already prompted “some ridicule” on social media due to a number of unfortunate double entendres.

LIBERAL MP Sarah Henderson has vowed to fight a proposed name change to her electorate which could see her become “the member for Cox”.

Ms Henderson said the proposed new name, in honour of pioneering swim instructor May Cox, had already prompted “some ridicule” on social media.

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The Australian Electoral Commission proposed major changes to the Corangamite electorate on Friday, including the name change, as part of a major overhaul of divisional boundaries within Victoria.

The name change raised eyebrows among the political set on Friday, with many quick to point out the unfortunate double entendres which could apply to the new name.

Liberal backbench MP Sarah Henderson is vowing to fight a proposed name change. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

One MP told the Herald Sun: “Clearly no one at the AEC has a teenage boy.”

Ms Henderson said as a federation seat, the electorate took its name from Lake Corangamite, an Aboriginal word meaning “salty lake”.

She said maintaining the Aboriginal heritage and history was so important.

In a blow to Ms Henderson’s re-election chances, the Colac Otway Shire has also been removed from the electorate and moved west towards the safe Liberal seat of Wannon.

“I am pleased to confirm that the Liberal Party will be objecting to the draft boundaries and renaming of the Corangamite electorate,” Ms Henderson said.

“There is a very strong case for all of Colac Otway Shire to remain in the electorate. The city of Colac, in many respects, is the heart and soul of this federation seat.”

She said severing Colac from the electorate would leave the city “isolated” from the many organisations and communities it services, particularly in the agricultural, tourism, health and education sectors.

Colac Otway Shire includes the town of Apollo Bay. Picture: Dean Faulkner

She said many organisations had already raised their concerns about the proposal.

In a statement on Friday, the Redistribution Committee for Victoria said it was loath to change the name, but the seat’s boundaries had changed so much that it was no longer connected to Lake Corangamite or the Corangamite Shire Council.

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“The Redistribution Committee considers ‘Cox’ to be an appropriate name for an electoral division focused on Victoria’s Surf Coast, due to May Cox’s contributions to teaching swimming and lifesaving and her strong connections to Queenscliff,” the committee said.

May Cox was appointed as the first and only woman Supervisor of Swimming and Lifesaving in the Victorian Education Department in 1910 and together with Frank Beaurepaire, launched the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper’s ‘Learn to Swim’ program in 1929 which continues today through VicSwim.

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