Labor's Illawarra-held electorates should move north and knock out one held by the Liberal party, according to the NSW wing of the ALP.
As part of the Australian Electoral Commission's call for submissions on a redistribution of the NSW federal boundaries, the NSW ALP stated what it would like to see happen - all the South Coast and Illawarra electorates creep north.
"Beginning with Eden-Monaro, an electoral division limited in where it can move to gain electors, it has been shifted slightly north into Gilmore to consolidate it as a wholly southeast NSW electoral division - losing areas west of the Great Dividing Range," the Labor submission stated.
"The coastal seats from Gilmore to Cunningham are then able to correct themselves by a series of northward shifts towards Sydney."
That would have the biggest effect on Alison Byrnes' seat of Cunningham. Under the ALP proposal, her seat would then include Bundeena, the Royal National Park, Waterfall, Heathcote, Engadine and parts of Sutherland.
Much of that territory is now in the Liberal-held seat of Hughes, which the ALP wants to see scrapped altogether.
"We propose abolishing the division of Hughes," the ALP submission stated.
"We suggest another division is renamed Hughes as it is the name of a former Prime Minister."
Ms Byrnes, who worked in the office of former Cunningham MP Sharon Bird, acknowledged the northern Illawarra and southern Sydney were two very different areas but didn't feel a northwards change in boundaries would be a problem.
"Cunningham has gone up to Engadine, Waterfall, Bundeena and Heathcote in the past and Sharon certainly worked very well with those communities," Ms Byrnes said.
"I'd be very happy to work with those communities going forward and have in the past through my employment with Sharon, when she was member for Cunningham.
"They are very different communities but I would certainly be happy to work with them."
In the ALP plan, Cunningham would lose the southern Wollongong suburbs to Stephen Jones' seat of Whitlam. He in turn would cede the Shellharbour area to Gilmore, held by Labor's Fiona Phillips.
Mr Jones said he knew the boundaries of his electorate had to change because the population in some suburbs continues to grow - redistribution is a way of making sure all electorates have roughly the same populations.
But he won't be losing any sleep over what might happen.
"This is the third one that I've been through," Mr Jones said.
"You've got no control over them, no say. The independent body makes its mind up over where they draw the boundaries and you've just got to live with that.
"I love every part of the area that I currently represent and I really don't want to lose any of them."
The AEC's public submissions window has now closed. The proposed division names and boundaries are expected to be released in early to mid 2024.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
