O’Connor set to grow under federal electorate shake-up

O’Connor would include more local governments than any other electorate in Australia under an electoral redistribution proposed last month.

Thirty-eight shires fall within O’Connor’s boundaries which span the South West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Goldfields.

Under the changes proposed by the Redistribution Committee of WA, that number would rise to 56.

Eighteen shires would be added to the electorate to bump up the population by 11,520, in line with other electorates.

Albany-based O’Connor MP Rick Wilson welcomed the plan, which would see his electorate grow to nearly 1 million sqkm.

“The planned addition of the Shire of Boddington, the Shire of Nannup, as well as 16 Wheatbelt shires will only broaden the diversity of people and places in the electorate,” he said.

Durack would maintain its status as Australia’s largest electorate by land area. Plans for WA’s federal electoral redistribution are set to be finalised later this year.