Redistribution moves more than 39,000 South Australians into new electorates ahead of the March 21 state election
I’ll admit it — I did hear something about electoral boundaries changing a while back.
But if it hadn’t been for spotting a couple of core flute signs around Balaklava recently, for candidates in Narungga, I probably wouldn’t have thought much more about it.
That’s when it dawned on me that the candidates I’d been diligently researching ahead of the state election… weren’t actually the people I’ll be voting for on March 21.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve voted in the electorate of Frome. But thanks to a redistribution of electoral boundaries ahead of this election, Balaklava and surrounding areas are now part of Narungga.
And it turns out we’re not alone.
The redistribution reshaped a number of electorates across South Australia and moved more than 39,000 voters into different seats before this election.
Which makes me wonder — how many people actually know the electorate they’ll be voting in this month?
Because if it took a couple of roadside signs for me to realise something had changed, I suspect I’m probably not the only one.
So What Are The Changes?
Ahead of the March 21 state election, South Australia’s electoral boundaries were redrawn, shifting thousands of voters into different electorates.
One of the biggest changes regionally involves the electorate of Frome.
The seat has been renamed Ngadjuri, and its boundaries have shifted, picking up Hewett, Gawler Belt, Buchfelde and Ward Belt.
At the same time, several Mid North communities that were historically part of Frome — including Balaklava — have moved into the electorate of Narungga.
Other nearby seats have also shifted, with some towns moving between Stuart, Giles and neighbouring regional electorates.
The goal of redistributions like this is to keep electorates roughly equal in population as communities grow and change.
But it does mean that, for many voters, the seat they’ve been part of for years may not be the one they’re voting in this time around.
And while many voters will already be across the changes, I have no doubt there are plenty of others who — like me — might not realise they’re voting in a different electorate until much closer to election day.
If all this has you wondering what electorate you’re actually in now, the Electoral Commission has an interactive map where you can type in your address and find out.
