Victorian Liberals propose creation of a new Greens-leaning seat in federal parliament

Liberal Party recommend AEC create new federal electorate in inner-city Melbourne, potentially handing a second seat to the Greens.

Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt. The proposed new seat would carve out Greens-trending areas in two Labor inner-city strongholds. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Victoria’s Liberal Party is recommending the Australian Electoral Commission create a new federal electorate in inner-city Melbourne, potentially handing a second seat to the Greens.

The state is assured an extra seat at the next election due to population growth and most expect the AEC to create a new seat in the Labor heartland of Melbourne’s outer northwest suburbs, with both parties wanting the seat named after late prime minister Bob Hawke.

In its submission to the redistribution process, the Victorian Liberal Party say a new northwest seat would unsuitably combine regional and metropolitan areas, and the better course is to carve out the Green-friendly inner-city suburbs of Brunswick, Northcote, Coburg and Alphington.

“The proposed Division of Hawke is located in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, reflecting the communities that Bob Hawke represented as a member of parliament,” the Liberal submission said.

“While also addressing the substantial growth in Melbourne’s inner, northern, and western suburbs.

“The Liberal Party did consider the possibility of creating the new electoral division in the western and northwestern growth corridors on the outer northwestern fringes of Melbourne.

“It was not possible to adequately address the requirements for communities of interest in an electoral division that would span the Regional Victorian LGAs of Moorabool Shire and the Macedon Ranges Shire and the Greater Melbourne LGAs of Melton City and Hume City.”

The proposed new seat would carve out Greens-trending areas in two Labor inner-city strongholds – Cooper and Wills – with both Brunswick and Northcote voting for the Greens in the last federal election, and Brunswick currently occupied by the Greens in state parliament.

But any changes to the boundaries would not make either of those seats more likely to fall to the Coalition, as they would take in more Labor suburbs from other safe ALP seats.

Victorian Liberal MPs have told The Australian they do not expect to win the new seat no matter where it is ultimately placed, and are focused on preventing a greater shake-up of electoral boundaries which would affect their margins in the state’s regional electorates.

A senior Victorian Greens source said the Liberal proposal would give them a seat likely to pick up, but noted their own AEC submission supports a new seat in the northwest.

“This just shows the Liberals don’t have much hope of picking up any seats in Victoria next year,” the Greens insider said.

Victorian Labor MPs told The Australian on Monday the Liberal proposal was “ridiculous” and said their own proposals for a northwest seat would not hurt Liberal margins.

The Liberals are also set to suffer from the loss of one seat in Western Australia in the national redistribution of electoral boundaries.

It is expected the WA redistribution could affect the seats of senior Morrison Government members including Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton, and Assistant Jobs Minister Steve Irons.