Victorian Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell has approved a request by the Melbourne City Council (MCC) for the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC)  to conduct a review of the Council’s electoral structure.

 

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle formally requested the review following a motion passed by the MCC.

 

Mrs Powell said that given that the Council's electoral arrangements have not been reviewed since 2001 it was appropriate that a review be conducted.

 

"In the time since the last electoral review of the MCC was undertaken there have been substantial changes to the municipality with the incorporation of Docklands and parts of Kensington into the City,"  she said.

 

The electoral review will assess the number of councillors required to serve the democratic needs of the Council’s constituency and whether the Council should remain un-subdivided or moved into separate wards.

 

Any changes to MCC's electoral structure would require an amendment to the City of Melbourne Act by the Victorian Parliament.

 

The MCC also asked that other matters including governance processes and voting systems be considered by the VEC. Mrs Powell said those matters are outside the scope of a VEC electoral structure review but remain under her consideration.

 

The review will be completed by March 2012