“Politics can be summarised in one short statement; politics is a numbers game,” said NSW Murray candidate David Landini.
“If you have the numbers, you will succeed. If you haven’t got the numbers, you will fail.”
Mr Landini is running in the NSW electoral seat of Murray in a bid to end the strangle hold of metropolitan populations’ control of policies across rural NSW and Victoria.
Mr Landini sees the formation of a new state as the only way rural communities will take control of their prosperity and natural environment.
“A Riverina State will have authority over the water, timber and all other natural resources within its area,” said Mr Landini.
“This state will ensure that natural resources are used in the manner most beneficial to the people in the Riverina.”
Mr Landini points out the historical population shift is driving policy that is dictated by coastal communities with little to no understanding or investment with our regions.
“Since 1904, on average, one NSW country electorate has transferred to the Newcastle, Sydney or Wollongong areas every five years,” said Mr Landini.
For NSW, only eight seats sit west of the Great Dividing Range, approximately 75 per cent of the state, while the Sydney and Newcastle regions hold 71 seats in parliament.
This imbalance leaves issues or policies unique to western NSW at the mercy of their city cousins. The problem is exacerbated in NSW as the Legislative Council (Upper House), which reviews the work of the Legislative Assembly, is elected from only one electorate, the whole state. This means that unlike Victoria, which is guaranteed Upper House representation for electorates like northern Victoria, NSW is a free for all.
Electorates in Victoria are set at 88 and are based on equal population. Since 1904, 25 electorates have gone from the country to the city; between 1955 and 1985, an additional 20 electorates have been added, all in the Melbourne and Port Phillip area. Country Victoria has effectively lost one electorate and consequent Member of Parliament every three years.
Mr Landini believes metropolitan detachment from the issues and realities of people in rural NSW is also fuelling a rise, potentially damaging policies put forth by minor parties.
“In the 2019 NSW state election, 435,400 people voted for The Greens, the vast majority of these located in the metropolitan and north coast areas,” said Mr Landini.
“There are only 398,000 voters in the eight electorates west of the Great Dividing Range.
“There are more Greens voters in NSW opposed to the irrigation, timber and other natural resource-based industries than there are voters west of the Great Dividing Range.”
It’s a trend reflected in Victoria. The 2022 state election saw 416,069 people voting for The Greens, the majority of these in the metropolitan area, while there are only 413,648 total voters in the 10 outer electorates which cover the western, northern and eastern sides of Victoria.
A new state may be formed by separation of territory from a state, but only with the consent of the Parliament thereof, and a new state may be formed by the union of two or more states or parts of states, but only with the consent of the Parliaments of the states affected.
The new state would include electorates limited to no more than 10 per cent of the area of The Riverina, with additional electorates for every 10,000 voters, limited to no more than 10 electorates in 10 per cent of the area of the state. Mr Landini believes the proposal will ensure that while a highly populated area of the state may evolve, the people in less densely populated areas will still retain effective representation in Parliament. The population from the more densely populated area will have increased representation but will be prevented from overwhelmingly dominating the rest of the state.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 2 March 2023.
