Shire of Waroona pleased to be staying in Canning as AEC backs down from proposed electorate move

The Shire of Waroona has breathed a sigh of relief after it fended off a move to change its Federal electorate for the second time in three years.

The Australian Electoral Commission has revealed the final results of the WA redistribution last week, with the area remaining within Canning despite Shire of Donnybrook-Bailingup still being moved from Forrest into O’Connor.

Waroona shire president Mike Walmsley said he was pleased they would be remaining within their electorate, which the council advocating for when the move was initially announced.

“I’m happy with the Electoral Commission’s change of heart,” he said.

Cr Walmsley said with Waroona sitting within the Peel region, he was glad to be sticking with councils more closely aligned with the shire.

“We have lots of synergies with our other Peel councils,” he said.

“I think they’ve made a good decision.”

Cr Walmsley said the AEC’s original planned shift into Forrest would have seen the shire have to compete with areas experiencing substantial growth including Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River, which would not be ideal for the smaller council.

“It seems to be a matter of life, funding goes to the areas that are growing,” he said.

“We may not be growing as fast as others, but we’re getting good support at the moment with what we are doing, so the status quo is good.”

It is the second time the council has managed to reverse the AEC’s planned electorate change, fending off a similar proposed move into Forrest in 2021.

Canning MHR Andrew Hastie said he was pleased with the AEC’s decision to keep the shire within his electorate.

“It has been an honour to represent the Shire of Waroona,” he said.

“Waroona is a strong and warm community and I look forward to continuing to deliver for this region and ensuring Waroona thrives.”