Hume redistribution disappoints Taylor

MP Angus Taylor says he’s extremely disappointed to lose the towns of Yass, Young, Cootamundra, Harden, Grenfell and Cowra in the Australian Electoral Commission’s draft plan.

This area is considered by many to be Hume’s rural heartland of Hume, one that former Liberal member Alby Schultz also represented.

The Redistribution Committee for NSW published the proposed changes to federal electoral boundaries in NSW on Friday. Hume will pick up 47,569 voters north of Goulburn and lose 44,000 to the west. In a statement issued on Friday, Mr Taylor acknowledged the loss.

“The changes are extensive. I have essentially lost a large part of the rural west of Hume – Young, Cootamundra, Harden, Grenfell and Cowra will go to Riverina,” Mr Taylor said.

“Yass Valley and parts of Palerang will move into Eden Monaro.

“I will retain a large part of the Wollondilly local government area and part of Wingecarribee and gain areas around Camden, while Goulburn, Upper Lachlan and Boorowa will remain in the seat of Hume.”

Mr Taylor acknowledged Hume would be a different electorate after the changes.

“It will by no means be as rural as it has been,” he said.

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“As someone with a strong rural background and a deep passion for agriculture, I will be encouraging constituents and councils in the west of Hume to make their voice heard to the Australian Electoral Commission. (AEC)”

He told the Post that any MP who faced the prospect of losing a significant part of their electorate was going to feel some emotion.

“...You work extremely hard for the people in the areas you represent, you care deeply about it and anyone who says they don’t is lying.

The truth is, we do, so for me to lose that (western area) would be extremely disappointing.”

Mr Taylor said while pundits predicted change in the the State’s north, nobody had anticipated the scale of the AEC’s proposed boundary shifts in southern NSW, not even the Liberal Party.

But he’s remaining philosophical, describing the corridor from outer Sydney as a high growth one that offered exciting possibilities and accompanying government investment.

He already represents areas to the north of Goulburn. Nevertheless, the Liberal Party will be lodging a further submission. Mr Taylor was not speculating on whether Labor voters in outer Sydney would make it a tougher contest at the next election.

“I’ll leave that to the pollsters,” he said.

While election analyst Antony Green is yet to do his analysis, William Bowe from ‘Poll bludger’ predicts an added 3.2 per cent swing to the Liberals in Hume, taking Mr Taylor’s margin to 15pc.