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
State	Victoria
Created	2002
MP	Jordan Crugnale
Party	Australian Labor Party
Electors	58,325 (2018)
Area	1,383 km^2 (534.0 sq mi)
Demographic	Rural

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

Member		Party	Term
	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, 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.

External links

• Electorate profile: Bass, Victorian Electoral Commission