ECHO News readers could well be voting in the newly created seat of Bullwinkel soon under a proposal from the Redistribution Committee for Western Australia.

Western Australian redistribution is required to enable an increase from 15 to 16 federal electoral divisions and the changes will affect rural voters in York, Northam, Beverley and Toodyay, the majority of Mundaring and Kalamunda and parts of Swan, Gosnells and Armadale.

Under the proposal 15.57 per cent of all WA electors will move into different electoral divisions.

The location of the new proposed division of Bullwinkel has a range of knock-on changes for the proposed boundaries of the divisions of Hasluck, Swan, Durak, Canning, Burt and O’Connor.

“Under the proposal, the boundaries of all of Western Australia’s existing electoral divisions would change and the additional Division of Bullwinkel would be created,” committee chair and Electoral Commissioner, Tom Rogers said.

“Ongoing population growth in parts of Western Australia has led the redistribution committee to propose a number of substantial changes to the state’s electoral division boundaries.”

The proposed division of Bullwinkel is named in honour of Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel AO MBE (1915–2000).

After surviving the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke following the evacuation of Singapore, Bullwinkel was the sole survivor of the 1942 Bangka Island massacre and a prisoner of war for three and a half years.

Bullwinkel retired from the Army in 1947 and became director of nursing at Melbourne’s Fairfield Hospital, devoting much of her life to moving Australian nursing education from hospitals to universities, and the recognition of military personnel, especially nurses, and the victims of war crimes,

In 1992 she returned to Bangka Island to unveil a shrine to the nurses who had not survived the war, and has worked to highlight the treatment of prisoners of war by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

The naming of an electoral division after her recognises her dedication to honouring victims of war crimes and her service to nursing and the community, in both her civilian and military service. This electoral division name also honours the contribution of military medical personnel and recognises those who were prisoners of war.

Feedback must be lodged no later than 6pm AWST on Friday,  June 28.

The best way to submit feedback is online or by email at FedRedistrib
ution-WA@aec.gov.au or in person at Level 1, 15-17 William Street, Perth.