Electoral district of Bass

The electoral district of Bass is one of the electoral districts of Victoria, Australia, for the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers an area of 1,383 square kilometres (534 sq mi) south east of Melbourne, stretching from outer suburban Pakenham through rural areas to the coast at Inverloch and Phillip Island. It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Corinella, Cowes, Grantville, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Rhyll, San Remo, Ventnor, Wonthaggi, and part of suburban Pakenham. It lies within the Eastern Victoria Region of the upper house, the Legislative Council.[1]

This article is about the Victorian state electorate. For the Tasmanian federal electorate, see Division of Bass. For the Tasmanian state electorate, see Division of Bass (state).

Bass
Victoria—Legislative Assembly
Location of Bass (dark green) in Victoria
StateVictoria
Created2002
MPJordan Crugnale
PartyAustralian Labor Party
Electors58,325 (2018)
Area1,383 km2 (534.0 sq mi)
DemographicRural

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
MemberPartyTerm
  Ken Smith Liberal 2002–2014
  Brian Paynter Liberal 2014–2018
  Jordan Crugnale Labor 2018–present

Election results
Main article: Electoral results for the district of Bass
2018 Victorian state election: Bass[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brian Paynter 20,315 40.97 −4.38
Labor Jordan Crugnale 19,954 40.24 +10.88
Greens David Arnault 2,821 5.69 −3.41
Independent Clare Le Serve 2,212 4.46 −6.34
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Frank Ripa 2,011 4.06 +4.06
Democratic Labour Ross McPhee 1,288 2.60 +2.60
Independent Ron Bauer 603 1.22 +1.22
Independent Kate Lempriere 385 0.78 +0.78
Total formal votes 49,589 93.37 −1.22
Informal votes 3,522 6.63 +1.22
Turnout 53,111 91.06 −3.30
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Jordan Crugnale 25,982 52.39 +6.94
Liberal Brian Paynter 23,607 47.61 −6.94
Labor gain from Liberal Swing+6.94

References
  1. "Bass District profile". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. "Bass - Victorian Election 2014". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. State Election 2018: Bass, VEC.


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