AEC proposes abolishing federal seat at next election
NSW currently has 47 federal seats, but because its population growth has been lower than in the rest of the country, the state is now only entitled to 46. The seat on the chopping block is North Sydney. It's existed since Federation and is held by teal independent MP Kylie Tink. The redistribution committee has proposed splitting it into three. Much of it would merge into the marginal Labour seat have been along to the West. A northern section would shift into Liberal held Bradfield. The eastern side would go into Warringah, which is held by teal independent Zali Stegall. To have in this context a growing population but less members of parliament, we have a net result of -1 overall on the federal parliament at the next election seems counter intuitive. The member for North Sydney wouldn't say if she'd run in a neighbouring electorate. It's very difficult for any person to predict where they may be in 12 months time, let alone two years time or three years time. I have absolutely loved every minute. The split of North Sydney could spell trouble for the incumbents in neighbouring seats, especially for Labour's Jerome Laxell in Bennelong. Basically his margins been wiped away and on paper it now looks like a very, very, very marginal Liberal seat. And for for Paul Fletcher in Bradfield, he's lost some of his best areas at the northern end and gained some of Kylie Tink's areas from North Sydney and that has reduced his margin against kind of the combined vote of the teal independence. People now have a chance to lodge an objection, with the new boundaries to be finalized in October.