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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Victorian state election, 28 November 2026
Bass District
Location: Cowes, Devon Meadows, Wonthaggi
Legislative Council:
Eastern Victoria Region
Enrolment 2022 election: 49,984
Enrolment November 2025: 54,969
Sitting member: Jordan Crugnale (Labor): Elected 2018, 2022. Retiring 2026
2018 Labor majority over Liberal: 2.4%
2021 redistricting: Liberal over Labor 00.7%
2022 Labor majority over Liberal: 0.2%
Status: Very marginal Labor
Bass was created in 2002, based on the earlier electorate of Gippsland West. It takes in semi-rural areas on the eastern shore of Western Port, the tourism towns of Phillip Island, and the old mining town of Wonthaggi. It is one of the fastest-growing electorates in the state, reflecting new suburban growth on the south-eastern fringe of Melbourne. Labor's strength is in the southern prt of the seat, including Wonthaggi and Inverloch, while the Liberals dominate the northern areas around Lang Lang, Koo Wee Rup and Pearcedale.
Bass was won in 2002 by Ken Smith, who had previously been a Legislative Council member for the same area. Smith defeated Susan Davies, an independent member who had won Gippsland West at a by-election in 1997. Smith was elected Speaker in December 2010, but was unable to manage the chamber after the Napthine government lost its majority following the defection of Geoff Shaw, the rebellious MLA for Frankston. He resigned as Speaker in February 2014 and retired at the 2014 election. His successor, Brian Paynter, retained the seat but suffered at 7.8% adverse swing.
At the 2018 election, Labor's Jordan Crugnale, a teacher and former Mayor of Bass Coast Shire, defeated Paynter with a margin of 2.4%. The 2021 redistricting weakened the seat for Labor by removing Labor-inclined territory in Clyde and Pakenham and adding Liberal-voting Devon Meadows, creating a notional Liberal majority of 0.7%. At the 2022 election, Crugnale gained a swing of 0.9%, retaining the seat with a margin of 0.2%. This reflected the generally poor showing of the Liberal Party in eastern suburban seats which it would once have won easily.
Bass is now Labor's most marginal seat, and a seat the Liberals must win if they are to win the 2026 election. In October 2025 Crugnale announced that she would not recontest the seat, which will make Labor's task in retaining it more difficult.
2022 results
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Boundaries following
2021 redistricting |
See full-size map
Candidates:
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Chris Buckingham
Australian Labor Party |
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