Guarding our Borders

Sometimes I wish I had more time to write for this blog.

Inevitably, having a full time job, and more commitments outside of work than I care to count, means I often have to pass on pieces I would like to write because I don't have the time to do them justice. The redistribution process is one of those issues on which I would love punch out a really detailed piece, but don't have the hours and hours such a piece would take to write properly.

Of course, there is also the fact that Ben Raue. of the excellent Tally Room. has already gone and written an outstanding bit for New Matilda on that very topic.

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, because his piece is excellent. You should read it: http://newmatilda.com/2013/01/23/sydney-electorates-south.

I guess I'm just grateful that we have this kind of process. That a non-political, independent body invites submissions on the issue, and then makes the decision that is most in accordance with democracy and justice.

It means that we avoid te awful gerrymandering that Queensland, and that we see in the US today:

Some super-high-quality gerrymandering from the Illinois. Pic from here

The process is going to lead to, I have no doubt, furious brawling behind closed doors, as members of the Legislative Assembly fight over who gets what seat. That's to be expected.

But let's all take a second to be grateful that we have maps that look like this:

From the AEC

Or this:

From the AEC

Rather than this: