Electoral district of Bass

Summary

The electoral district of Bass is one of the electoral districts of Victoria, Australia, for the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers an area of 1,358 square kilometres (524 sq mi) south east of Melbourne, stretching from the satellite suburb of Clyde through rural areas to the coast at Inverloch and Phillip Island. It includes the suburbs and towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Clyde, Corinella, Cowes, Grantville, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Pearcedale, Rhyll, San Remo, Tooradin, Ventnor and Wonthaggi. It lies within the Eastern Victoria Region of the upper house, the Legislative Council.[1]

Bass
VictoriaLegislative Assembly
Location of Bass (dark green) in Victoria
StateVictoria
Created2002
MPJordan Crugnale
PartyAustralian Labor Party
NamesakeBass Strait
Electors49,984 (2022)
Area1,358 km2 (524.3 sq mi)
DemographicRural
Coordinates38°22′S 145°37′E / 38.367°S 145.617°E / -38.367; 145.617
Electorates around Bass:
Cranbourne Berwick
Pakenham
Narracan
Hastings Bass Gippsland South
Bass Strait Bass Strait Gippsland South

Bass was created in a redistribution for the 2002 election. It largely replaced the abolished electorate of Gippsland West, held by independent Susan Davies. However, the seat is located in traditional Liberal territory. Its predecessors, Gippsland West and Westernport, had historically been strongholds for the conservative parties. On the new boundaries it was marginally Liberal on a "traditional" two-party basis. Davies contested Bass, but was defeated by Liberal candidate Ken Smith, who had been the member for the relevant Legislative Council seat of Gippsland Province since 1988. Smith's win was the only Liberal gain in an election which saw Labor score its biggest-ever victory in Victoria.

Smith was reelected in 2006 election with a modest swing in his favour. He was reelected handily at the 2010 election, picking up a swing large enough to revert Bass to a safe Liberal seat, as Gippsland West had been. He subsequently served as Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2010 to 2014.[2]

Smith retired at the 2014 state election after losing the speakership in February 2014, when he lost the support of balance of power independent MP Geoff Shaw. Brian Paynter, a local accountant, succeeded him as Liberal candidate and member for Bass.[2] However, Paynter was swept out after only one term by Labor's Jordan Crugnale, who became the first Labor member ever to win the seat or its predecessors.

Members for Bass edit

Member Party Term
  Ken Smith Liberal 2002–2014
  Brian Paynter Liberal 2014–2018
  Jordan Crugnale Labor 2018–present

Election results edit

2022 Victorian state election: Bass[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Jordan Crugnale 13,478 32.6 −4.1
Liberal Aaron Brown 12,482 30.1 −13.4
National Brett Tessari 5,506 13.3 +13.3
Greens Callum Bugbird 3,369 8.1 +1.9
Democratic Labour Mark O'Neill 1,465 3.5 +1.7
Family First Martin Verhagen 1,164 2.8 +2.8
Animal Justice Elly Mousellis 1,085 2.6 +1.4
Freedom Marcus Munday 1,013 2.4 +2.4
Independent Jeni Jobe 970 2.3 +2.3
Independent Meg Edwards 872 2.1 +2.1
Total formal votes 41,404 93.0 –0.6
Informal votes 3,135 7.0 +0.6
Turnout 44,539 89.1 +4.5
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Jordan Crugnale 20,803 50.2 +0.9
Liberal Aaron Brown 20,601 49.8 −0.9
Labor notional gain from Liberal Swing +0.9
Primary voting results in Bass
Two-party-preferred vote results in Bass

References edit

  1. ^ "Bass District profile". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Bass - Victorian Election 2014". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. ^ VIC 2021 Final Redistribution, ABC News. [Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ Green, Antony (11 January 2023). "VIC22 – 2-Party Preferred Results and Swings by District". Antony Green's Election Blog. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. ^ Bass District results, Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

External links edit

  • Electorate profile: Bass, Victorian Electoral Commission