THE Barossa’s peak tourism and wine bodies have spoken out against a draft redraw of the state’s electoral boundaries, saying adding Gawler to the Schubert electorate is “misplaced”.

Tourism Barossa, Barossa Grape and Wine (BGW) and Barossa Council have all made submissions to the Electoral District Boundaries Commission (EDBC), after it released a redraw of the state’s electoral zones in August.

The proposal included Gawler moving from the Labor-controlled Light electorate, to the Liberal-held seat of Schubert.

This would make Schubert almost a marginal seat for the Liberals, with a 5.4 per cent swing needed for it to change hands at the 2022 state election, according to the EDBC’s modelling.

Shortly after the draft proposal was released, Light MP Tony Piccolo announced he would leave his safe seat to contest Schubert against incumbent Stephan Knoll.

A final decision on the boundaries will be made in November, with the EDCB recently wrapping up public consultation on the draft plans.

Other proposed shake-ups will see the Adelaide Hills-based Kavel electorate take in a number of southern Barossa towns, such as Williamstown and Sandy Creek, and the mid-north seat of Frome receiving portions of Greenock, Stockwell and Nuriootpa.

In its submission BGW and Tourism Barossa were displeased with the Schubert alterations, saying having three different MPs in the region would be “confusing”.

“The preference for a singular representative should be maintained to ensure our representative has a clear strategic mandate and intent to drive Brand Barossa forward,” the response read.

“A diluted connection to different State Government representatives across out Geographical Indication boundary of the Barossa Zone is not supported. It will detract from our ability to work collaboratively with the State Government.”

The submission, signed by BGW chief executive James March and Tourism Barossa chair Jonathon Durdin, also takes issue with Gawler and the Barossa being in the same electorate.

“The area of Schubert, by its very name, is associated with wine, food, tourism and rural and regional experience,” the response read.

“Utilising a significant area of the township of Gawler to address quotas in the state is misplaced and misses the strategic intent and association of the representatives for Schubert.”

The Barossa Council’s submission, signed by Mayor Bim Lange echoed many of the concerns raised by the tourism and wine bodies.

The SA Liberal party’s submission proposed leaving the Light electorate as it was at the 2018 State Election – except for moving Hewett into Schubert – and leaving the southern Barossa towns set to move into Kavel inside Schubert.

Labor supported the Schubert changes, but was unhappy the EDBC’s modelling had it receiving 48 per cent of the popular vote, but only winning 42 per cent of State Parliament’s 47 seats.

Push to stay Schubert

Ellouise Crawford

A REDISTRIBUTION of local electoral boundaries will dilute the Barossa and confuse its residents, council claims.

At its latest meeting, Barossa Council approved a submission to the South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission, following the release of its district boundaries review.

The current proposal will see the seat of Schubert, which currently encases Barossa Council, split into three different electorates, Schubert, Kavel and Frome, in the House of Assembly.

In a report to elected members, Barossa chief executive Martin McCarthy said the preference for a single representative should be maintained to ensure they have a clear strategic mandate and intent to drive Brand Barossa forward.

“The area of Schubert by its very name is associated with wine, food, tourism and a rural and regional experience,” he said.

“Utilising a significant area of Gawler to address quotas elsewhere in the state is misplaced and misses the strategic intent and association of the representative for Schubert, the understanding of our industries and community being rurally based.”

Mr McCarthy goes on to explain there is Supreme Court precedent that outlines that quotas do not have to be met for larger rural areas and the complexities in managing those seats given distance and area.

“If the Commission assesses the rural seats further in South Australia with this lens it will not need to address quota matters in the mathematical sense they seem to have in the report,” he states.

“…The communities of interest are not well addressed by the change and now incorporate a significant part of the township of Gawler into a primarily rural and regional seat which over 150 years has been developed as a village style of development not a central township.

“The assessment of the splitting of the electorate is also considered illogically for the residents of Gawler and the electorate of Light. Both Light and Schubert having different development overtime and economic basis.”

The consultation period for the proposed seat redistributions closed on September 16 and will be confirmed in November.

The redraw will have Schubert gain Gawler, but lose the southern Barossa towns of Cockatoo Valley, Williamstown, Kalbeeba and Barossa Goldfields to Liberal-held Kavel.

Freeling, Roseworthy, Templers, Wasleys, as well as portions of Greenock and Nuriootpa are also drafted to leave Schubert and be included into the Frome electorate.