With the AEC set to axe one NSW electorate in December, the Liberals want to replace the seats of Riverina and Hume with a massive new electorate called Bradman, and shift Hume’s northern areas into Macarthur.

Queensland, whose population growth is out-stripping NSW, is set to gain a seat in the redistribution.

Hume MP Alby Schultz said he wouldn’t speculate on whether he would run in the proposed Bradman seat until the boundaries had been confirmed by the AEC.

The new seat, named after Cootamundra’s favourite son Sir Donald Bradman, would stretch from the Riverina to Goulburn.

He said increasing the size of rural seats made it near impossible for MPs to service their electorates.

“When you’ve got seats of over 200,000 square kilometres its difficult to manage,” he said.

The former Cootamundra councillor would have to go head-to-head with Riverina National MP Kay Hull at the next federal election - if he decided to run.

Ms Hull slammed the Liberal party’s proposal. “I’m literally staggered by the decision,” she said.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Wednesday, May 6

ben.mcclellan@ruralpress.c om