Division of Bass Information & Division of Bass Links at HealthHaven.com

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

Bass Australian House of Representatives Division
Bass, shown within Tasmania
Created:	1903
MP:	Jodie Campbell
Party:	Labor
Namesake:	George Bass
Electors:	68,697
Area:	7,378 km² (2,849 sq mi)
Demographic:	Provincial

The Division of Bass is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the explorer George Bass. It has always been based on the city of Launceston and surrounding rural areas, and its boundaries have changed very little in the century since its creation. For most of its history it has been a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the conservative parties - since 1949 the Liberal Party. Its most notable member has been Lance Barnard, who was Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam Labor government. His resignation in 1975 was followed by Labor's heavy defeat in the Bass by-election, which is seen as the beginning of the end of the Whitlam government.

[edit] Members

	Party	Term
David Storrer	Protectionist	1903–1909
David Storrer	Independent	1909–1910
Jens Jensen	Labor	1910–1916
	Nationalist	1916–1919
	Independent	1919–1919
David Jackson	Nationalist	1919–1929
Allan Guy	Labor	1929–1931
Allan Guy	United Australia	1931–1934
Claude Barnard	Labor	1934–1949
Bruce Kekwick	Liberal	1949–1954
Lance Barnard	Labor	1954–1975
Kevin Newman	Liberal	1975–1984
Warwick Smith	Liberal	1984–1993
Silvia Smith	Labor	1993–1996
Warwick Smith	Liberal	1996–1998
Michelle O'Byrne	Labor	1998–2004
Michael Ferguson	Liberal	2004–2007
Jodie Campbell	Labor	2007–present

[edit] Election results

Australian federal election, 2007: Bass
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Michael Ferguson	27,769	43.50	-5.63
	Labor	Jodie Campbell	23,764	37.23	-1.99
	Greens	Tom Millen	9,745	15.27	+7.17
	Independent	Sven Wiener	1,123	1.76	+1.76
	Family First	Ixa de Haan	930	1.46	-0.37
	Liberal Democrats	Shem Bennett	285	0.45	+0.45
	CEC	Adrian Watts	219	0.34	-1.02
Total formal votes			63,835	96.75	+0.65
Informal votes			2,142	3.25	-0.65
Turnout			65.977	95.66	+0.03
Two Candidate Preferred Result
	Labor	Jodie Campbell	32,553	51.00	+3.63
	Liberal	Michael Ferguson	31,282	49.00	-3.63
	Labor gain from Liberal		Swing	+3.63

Australian federal election, 2004: Bass
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Michael Ferguson	30,678	49.13	+7.68
	Labor	Michelle O'Byrne	24,491	39.22	-3.60
	Greens	Jeremy Ball	5,059	8.10	+1.86
	Family First	Christine Bergman	1,145	1.83	+1.83
	CEC	Caroline Larner	847	1.36	+1.10
	Socialist Alliance	Meredith de Landelles	219	0.35	+0.35
Total formal votes			62,439	96.10	+0.37
Informal votes			2,534	3.90	-0.37
Turnout			64,973	95.63	-0.53
Two Candidate Preferred Result
	Liberal	Michael Ferguson	32,860	52.63	+4.69
	Labor	Michelle O'Byrne	29,579	47.37	-4.69
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	+4.69

Electoral divisions of Tasmania
Federal: Bass \| Braddon \| Denison \| Franklin \| Lyons House of Assembly: Bass \| Braddon \| Denison \| Franklin \| Lyons Legislative Council: Apsley \| Derwent \| Elwick \| Huon \| Mersey Montgomery \| Murchison \| Nelson \| Paterson \| Pembroke Rosevears \| Rowallan \| Rumney \| Wellington \| Windermere