ECQ release final Doboy boundaries
FINALISED MAP OF DOBOY WARD PROVIDED BY ECQ VIA: WWW.ECQ.QLD.GOV.AU
You may recall that recently the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) undertook a redivision of Brisbane City Council wards, to bring wards with populations outside tolerances into quota.
Despite Doboy Ward being within the 10%+/- quota, changes to other nearby wards had flow on effects to this ward, which included a proposal to split Wakerley down the unformed boundary line of Tilley Road.
I, along with over a hundred other Wakerley residents objected to this proposal along three basic grounds. Firstly, Wakerley has always been represented by one federal MP, one state MP and one Brisbane City Councillor.
The original proposal would have seen an ‘eastern’ Wakerley and a ‘western’ Wakerley represented by two different councillors. Splitting the suburb down this line would have diluted the voices of Wakerley’s nine-thousand residents as half would have a different Councillor.
Secondly, the boundary ECQ proposed was awkward. Rather than choosing a formed road or a landmark that everyone knows, the ECQ propose to divide the suburb down a future road corridor which won’t be built for years.
Lastly, the changes were unnecessary- both Doboy Ward and Chandler Ward are within population tolerances now and into the future. Wakerley has a strong community of interest as the urban part of a rural lifestyle area.
I am pleased to say that the ECQ listened to the some 120 local residents who made submissions to this effect, reversing the decision to use the unformed part of Tilley Road as a boundary.
Sadly, part of Wakerley has still been split between Chandler Ward and Doboy Ward.
Residents to the East or South of Tilley Road (incl. Habitat, Tilleydale estates) have been transferred to the ward of Chandler, currently represented by Cr Adrian Schrinner. Residents north of Tilley Road, (Mirvac estate) will remain in Doboy Ward, as is currently the case.
The changes made by community pressure has resulted in only 1000 Wakerley residents being transferred to a new ward, as opposed to 2500 under the original proposal.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those residents who took an active interested in this issues and who made sure their voices were heard throughout the process.
