Number of wards face the chop

By Shaun Inguanzo
FOUR wards and 11 councillors will reshape Greater Dandenong’s local government landscape if the Planning Minister accepts a ward restructure conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).
The city currently has 11 wards and 11 councillors, but the VEC proposal released on Monday, after two months of research and consultation with the community, recommends that Greater Dandenong change to four larger wards, each with multiple councillors.
The new wards will be called Lightwood, Silverleaf, Paperbark and Red Gum.
Lightwood will encompass the suburbs of Springvale and Springvale South, and be bounded by Corrigan, Henderson and Coomoora roads.
It will contain three councillors representing 25,826 voters.
Silverleaf will encompass Noble Park North and part of Dandenong North, bounded by the Princes Highway, Browns Road, and Stud Road, and extending just north of the Monash Freeway.
It will contain two councillors representing 18,250 voters.
Paperbark will encompass Noble Park North and Keysborough and be bounded by Eastlink, the Dandenong South Bypass, Cheltenham and Corrigan Roads.
It will contain three councillors representing 26,482 voters.
Red Gum is geographically the largest ward covering Keysborough South, Dandenong, Dandenong South, Bangholme and Lyndhurst to municipal borders.
It will contain three councillors representing 23,412 voters.
The wards will be effective for the new council, to be voted on by residents in November.
The new multiple-councillor wards will be decided through proportional representation, as opposed to the preferential voting method.
Planning Minister Justin Madden must now rubber stamp the report before any changes can take place.
For more information, or to view the final report, visit the VEC website at www.vec.vic.gov.au.