AN elections expert says Bathurst's federal seat could possibly disappear in a coming redistribution that would continue the city's history of shifting political sands.
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The electoral authority, though, has emphasised that any such decision on changed seats is still some time away.
Antony Green - well known for his technical work during the ABC's coverage of federal, state and territory elections - provided his thoughts on the state's seats in a recent post on his election blog.
He hypothesised on what the reduction in federal seats in NSW - from 47 to 46 - was likely to mean as electoral boundaries were adjusted to accommodate the change.
Among a number of options, Mr Green said one would be for "parts of Eden-Monaro west of the ACT" to be transferred to the seat of Riverina, and another "would be to push Macquarie west into Lithgow and Bathurst, almost certainly requiring Calare or Riverina to be abolished".
The current seat of Macquarie covers Richmond and Windsor in north-west Sydney's Hawkesbury region as well as the towns and villages of the Blue Mountains, but it has stretched far enough west to cover Bathurst in the past.
In fact, Bathurst's favourite son Ben Chifley is a former Member for Macquarie.
During an unsettled period in the latter half of the 2000s, urban Bathurst went from Calare to Macquarie in 2006 and then back to Calare in 2009.
Calare MP John Cobb told the Advocate at the time of the 2009 shift that he welcomed Bathurst returning to the electorate.
"I was born in Bathurst, and so were my sisters," he said.
"My grandmother lived up in Hope Street and my mother spent the last 15 years of her life in Clements Street.
"Really, I have an affinity with the place and have a lot of relatives out around Newbridge and Blayney. I would enjoy having Bathurst in my electorate."
The Western Advocate contacted the Australian Electoral Commission about a timeline for the current redistribution of seats in NSW.
The AEC - which confirmed on July 27 that NSW will drop from 47 to 46 federal seats due to Western Australia's rise in population earning it a new seat - said there are indicative timings only for the following steps.
IN OTHER NEWS AROUND BATHURST:
Under the indicative timings, there will be a call for suggestions for the NSW redistribution in the third and fourth quarters of this year and then proposed boundaries and names will be released for comment in the second quarter of next year.
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