Liberal candidate for Forrest Ben Small believes Donnybrook-Balingup making strong case to stay in electorate

The WA Liberals’ choice to replace Nola Marino in Federal Parliament believes the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup has made a strong case to remain in its current electorate. The council and the Shire of Waroona have both raised objections with the Australian Electoral Commission’s proposed changes to the boundaries for the seat of Forrest, which would see Donnybrook-Balingup residents move into the much bigger O’Connor region and Waroona to be separated from other Peel region councils in Forrest. And Liberal candidate for Forrest Ben Small said he thinks the objections reflect the good relationships both councils have with their current Federal MPs. “I totally understand for instance, in the case of Donnybrook-Balingup, that their local MP at the moment has an office 30 or 40 minutes down the road, whereas (O’Connor MHR) Rick Wilson’s closest office in Albany would be a few hours,” he said. “I think there is a strong communities of interest argument that they have made to the AEC.” But Mr Small highlighted the independence of the AEC, who will ultimately have the final decision on the boundaries before the upcoming Federal election. “From my perspective, I’m enthusiastic about representing regional communities ... so I’m very happy with whatever the AEC ultimately decides in terms of being an advocate for those local communities,” he said. Public comment on the proposed boundary changes closed on Friday.