Charles Bean: AEC voted 4-2 to stick with Bean.
The Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed the name of the ACT’s new electorate as Bean, as well as incorporating the suburb of Phillip into the new southern seat.
The AEC issued its determination yesterday (Tuesday) after reviewing the proposed names and boundaries for the ACT redistribution.
It voted 4-2 in favour of adopting the Redistribution Committee’s proposal to name the southern electoral division ‘Bean’, to recognise war correspondent Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean, who played a big part in establishing the Australian War Memorial.
The nomination of Bean had drawn criticism and objections from those who questioned his anti-Semitic attitude towards World War 1 general Sir John Monash, or preferred a more ‘diverse’ choice.
“In regards to arguments related to Charles Bean’s views on Sir John Monash, and the implied attribution to Charles Bean’s character, the augmented Electoral Commission considered the totality of material provided in submissions. This material included excerpts from later writings and correspondence of Charles Bean and information about activities he undertook throughout his life,” the AEC said.
“Members of the augmented Electoral Commission voted (4-2) in favour to adopt the name ‘Bean’, with those members in favour concluding the Redistribution Committee’s proposal was sound and follows the naming guidelines for federal electoral divisions.”
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers thanked the individuals and organisations who contributed to the redistribution.
“All written objections and comments, as well as the information presented at the inquiry in Canberra, have been carefully considered in deciding the final names and boundaries,” Mr Rogers said.
The northern and central seats will retain the names of Fenner and Canberra respectively.
“The augmented Electoral Commission unanimously agreed to the adoption of the names ‘Canberra’ and ‘Fenner’ and to accept the Redistribution Committee’s proposed boundary changes with a small modification to incorporate all of the suburb of Phillip in the southern electoral division,” Mr Rogers said.
The boundary for Bean will be Melrose and Yamba Drives.
The AEC said no further input from members of the public would be sought.
The names and boundaries would apply from Friday 13 July 2018 when a notice of determination will be published in the Commonwealth Government Notices Gazette.
The AEC said overview maps would be available on the AEC website on Friday 13 July 2018. Detailed maps and a report outlining the AEC’s reasons for its formal determination would be tabled in the Federal Parliament and will subsequently be made publicly available.
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