Division of Bass (state)

This article is about the state electorate. For the federal electorate, see Division of Bass. For the Victorian state electorate, see Electoral district of Bass.

The electoral division of Bass is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, it includes north-east Tasmania and Flinders Island. Bass takes its name from the British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia: George Bass. The division shares its name and boundaries with the federal division of Bass.

Bass Tasmania—House of Assembly
Interactive map of boundaries since the 2021 state election
State	Tasmania
Created	1909
MP	Rob Fairs (Liberal) Michael Ferguson (Liberal) Janie Finlay (Labor) Michelle O'Byrne (Labor) Rebekah Pentland (Independent) Cecily Rosol (Greens) Simon Wood (Liberal)
Party	Greens (1), Independent (1), Labor (2), Liberal (3)
Namesake	George Bass
Electors	78,182 (2021)
Area	7,976 km2 (3,079.6 sq mi)
Demographic	Mixed
Federal electorate(s)	Bass
Electorates around Bass: Bass Strait Bass Strait Bass Strait Braddon Bass Tasman Sea Lyons Lyons Lyons

Division of Bass before the 2021 state election

Bass and the other House of Assembly electoral divisions are each represented by five members elected under the Hare-Clark electoral system.

History and electoral profile

Bass was created in 1909 and includes the city of Launceston and towns in the states north east including: Scottsdale, Lilydale, St Helens, George Town and others.^[1]

Representation

Distribution of seats

As 6-member seat: Election Seats won 1909–1912             1912–1913             1913–1916             1916–1919             1919–1922             1922–1925             1925–1928             1928–1931             1931–1934             1934–1937             1937–1941             1941–1946             1946–1948             1948–1950             1950–1955             1955–1956             1956–1959             As 7-member seat: Election Seats won 1959–1964               1964–1969               1969–1972               1972–1976               1976–1979               1979–1982               1982–1986               1986–1989               1989–1992               1992–1996               1996–1998               As 5-member seat: Election Seats won 1998–2002           2002–2006           2006–2010           2010–2014           2014–2018           2018–2021           2021–2024           As 7-member seat: Election Seats won 2024–2028

Legend:   Labor   Liberal   Greens   Nationalist   Liberal   Anti-Socialist   Liberal (Lee)   Liberal Democrat   Independent

Members for Bass

Year	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party
1909	6 seats (1909–1959)				Thomas Bakhap	Anti-Socialist		James Guy	Labor		Robert Sadler	Liberal Democrat		Charles Howroyd	Labor		Albert Solomon	Anti-Socialist		Richard McKenzie	Anti-Socialist
1912						Liberal					George Becker	Labor						Liberal			Liberal
1913					Robert Sadler	Liberal		Arthur Anderson	Labor											John Hayes	Liberal
1914																	Alexander Marshall	Liberal
1915								James McDonald	Labor
1916								Allan Guy	Labor
1917						Nationalist									Nationalist			Nationalist			Nationalist
1917														James Newton	Nationalist
1919
1922					Jens Jensen	Independent Labor
1923																				George Shields	Nationalist
1925															Liberal
1925					Victor Shaw	Labor											Claude James	Liberal		Henry Thomson	Nationalist
1928															Nationalist			Nationalist
1928														John Ockerby	Nationalist
1929								Thomas Davies	Labor
1931											Robert Murphy	Nationalist								Howard Barber	Nationalist
1933																				Herbert Postle	Nationalist
1934											John McDonald	Labor								Allen Hollingsworth	Nationalist
1936					John Madden	Labor
1937																	Eric Howroyd	Labor
1941																				Frank Marriott	Nationalist
1942								John Quintal	Labor
1945											Alan Welsh	Labor
1946															Liberal						Independent
1946								Reg Turnbull	Labor		Bill Beattie	Liberal		Fred Marriott	Liberal					Alexander Atkins	Labor
1948																				John Orchard	Liberal
1950											Claude Barnard	Labor					John Steer	Liberal
1954																				Bill Beattie	Liberal
1955
1956					Alexander Atkins	Labor
1957											John Madden	Labor
1959		Mac Le Fevre	Labor						Independent
1961								Wallace Fraser	Labor					James McGowen	Liberal		Max Bushby	Liberal
1964														John Steer	Liberal
1968														James Henty	Liberal
1969		Allan Foster	Labor					Michael Barnard	Labor		Timothy Barrenger	Liberal
1972					David Farquhar	Labor					Mac Le Fevre	Labor		Neil Pitt	Liberal
1974		Harry Holgate	Labor
1976					Gill James	Labor					Jim Mooney	Liberal		Neil Robson	Liberal
1979											Mary Willey	Labor								John Beswick	Liberal
1981												Independent
1982											Brendan Lyons	Liberal
1984								Peter Patmore	Labor
1986											Peter Rae	Liberal					Frank Madill	Liberal
1989					Jim Cox	Labor					Lance Armstrong	Greens
1992		Tony Benneworth	Liberal		Gill James	Labor								Sue Napier	Liberal
1996											Jim Cox	Labor
1998	5 seats (1998–2024)																		5 seats (1998–2024)
2000																	David Fry	Liberal
2002					Kim Booth	Greens		Kathryn Hay	Labor								Peter Gutwein	Liberal
2006								Michelle O'Byrne	Labor
2010											Brian Wightman	Labor		Michael Ferguson	Liberal
2014											Sarah Courtney	Liberal
2015					Andrea Dawkins	Greens
2018					Jennifer Houston	Labor
2021					Janie Finlay	Labor
2022											Lara Alexander	Liberal					Simon Wood	Liberal
2023												Independent
2024		Cecily Rosol	Greens								Rebekah Pentland	Jacqui Lambie								Rob Fairs	Liberal
2024												Independent

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Bass (state)

Vote totals given here are first round vote tallies.^[2]

2024 Tasmanian state election: Bass^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Quota			8,491
	Liberal	Michael Ferguson (elected 1)	12,294	18.1	+12.4
	Liberal	Rob Fairs (elected 4)	5,727	8.4	+8.4
	Liberal	Simon Wood (elected 7)	1,949	2.9	+1.8
	Liberal	Julie Sladden	1,747	2.6	+2.6
	Liberal	Chris Gatenby	1,504	2.2	+2.2
	Liberal	Sarah Quaile	1,448	2.1	+2.1
	Liberal	Richard Trethewie	1,148	1.7	+1.7
	Labor	Michelle O'Byrne (elected 2)	8,073	11.9	+0.3
	Labor	Janie Finlay (elected 3)	7,337	10.8	+2.1
	Labor	Geoff Lyons	1,698	2.5	+2.5
	Labor	William Gordon	1,112	1.6	+1.6
	Labor	Melissa Anderson	852	1.3	+1.3
	Labor	Adrian Hinds	735	1.1	−1.4
	Labor	Roshan Dhingra	443	0.7	+0.7
	Greens	Cecily Rosol (elected 5)	4,283	6.3	+5.3
	Greens	Lauren Ball	838	1.2	+1.2
	Greens	Carol Barnett	787	1.2	+1.2
	Greens	Tom Hall	711	1.0	−0.3
	Greens	Anne Layton-Bennett	665	1.0	−0.6
	Greens	Jack Fittler	441	0.6	+0.6
	Greens	Calum Hendry	431	0.6	+0.6
	Lambie	Rebekah Pentland (elected 6)	2,409	3.5	+3.5
	Lambie	Angela Armstrong	2,033	3.0	+3.0
	Lambie	Ludwig Johnson	1,088	1.6	+1.6
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Michal Frydrych	1,616	2.4	+2.4
	Independent	Lara Alexander	1,518	2.2	+1.5
	Independent	Greg (Tubby) Quinn	1,513	2.2	+2.2
	Independent	George Razay	1,247	1.8	+1.8
	Animal Justice	Ivan Davis	994	1.5	+1.5
	Independent	Tim Walker	571	0.8	+0.8
	Independent	Mark Brown	436	0.6	+0.6
	Independent	Jack Davenport	278	0.4	−4.0
Total formal votes			67,926	93.5	−1.5
Informal votes			4,706	6.5	+1.5
Turnout			72,632	90.6	−0.0
Party total votes
	Liberal		25,817	38.0	−21.9
	Labor		20,250	29.8	+3.8
	Greens		8,156	12.0	+2.8
	Lambie		5,530	8.1	+8.1
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers		1,616	2.4	–0.1
	Independent	Lara Alexander	1,518	2.2	+1.5
	Independent	Greg (Tubby) Quinn	1,513	2.2	+2.2
	Independent	George Razay	1,247	1.8	+1.8
	Animal Justice		994	1.8	–0.4
	Independent	Tim Walker	571	0.8	+0.8
	Independent	Mark Brown	436	0.6	+0.6
	Independent	Jack Davenport	278	0.4	–4.0

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 Tasmanian state election § Bass.[edit]

Vote totals given here are first round vote tallies.^[3]

Final vote tallies

Liberal Michael Ferguson (elected 1) 8491

Labour O'Byrne (elected 2) 8491

Labour Finlay (elected 3) 8491

Liberal Rob Fairs (elected 4) 8491

Greens Rosol (elected 5) 8491

Lambie Pentland (elected 6) 8491

Liberal Simon Wood (elected 7) 6461^[5]

See also

• Australia portal
• Politics portal

• Tasmanian Legislative Council