The federal seat of North Sydney could be abolished under a proposed plan to redraw the boundaries of electorates in New South Wales.
The proposal from the Australian Electoral Commission, released on Friday afternoon, would mean that North Sydney’s independent MP Kylea Tink would no longer have a seat in parliament. It would also mean that thousands of North Sydney voters would be distributed to surrounding electorates.
The state of NSW will lose one seat ahead of the next federal election due to slower population growth in the state. At this stage, the proposal from the Australian Electoral Commission is a draft, with it set to be finalised in October.
The draft plan suggests that areas within the current North Sydney electorate could be divided into neighboring seats including the Labor-held Bennelong, the Liberal-held Bradfield and Warringah, held by independent Zali Steggall.
The seat of North Sydney was won by independent MP Kylea Tink at the 2022 federal election. It was previously held by the Liberal Party’s Trent Zimmerman.
Under the proposal, there will also be major changes to the boundaries of seatsin other areas of NSW, including Eden-Monaro, Riverina and Hume.
Before the draft plan was released, the electoral commission received submissions from a range of political parties and independent MPs who each suggested their own ideas for how the redistribution could look.
The new borders proposed in the electoral commission’s plan would would about 712,000 voters across NSW would be moved into new electorates.
Members of the public are invited by the Australian Electoral Commission to submit written objections in regard to the proposed redistribution from 14 June to 12 July.
In a statement issued after the announcement, Kylea Tink said: “As the proud independent representative for the people of North Sydney, I am obviously disappointed by today’s draft boundary announcement from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). But this has never been about me.”
“May 2022 was a turning point in Australian federal politics, and North Sydney was one of the first communities to stand up that year for independent representation,” Tink said.
“My focus remains on the community of North Sydney, the incredible team working with me, and the thousands of volunteers and donors who helped bring North Sydney’s voice back in 2022.
“I remain committed to the independent political movement and will continue to support it wherever and whenever I can.”
Image: Federal MP for North Sydney, Kylea Tink.