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Division of Bass - Definition |
| Related Words: Rn, Seabees, Aberration, Abstraction, Addition, Adjunct, Affiliate, Affiliation, Airspace, Alien, Alienation, Allotment, Alteration, Anacrusis, Analysis |
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The Division of Bass is an Australian Electoral Division northern Tasmania, Australia. It is based around the city of Launceston.
The electorate was created in 1903, two years after Australian federation (see History of Australia). It is named after George Bass, an explorer who charted much of the Tasmanian coast. The electorate is used both federal elections (for the House of Representatives) and state elections (for the House of Assembly)
About the electorate
Bass has always been one of Australia's more marginal electorates, and has a tendency to regularly change between parties. However, it has only been held by conservative parties for approximately twenty of its 101 years. This was emphasised in 1993 when Silvia Smith won the seat from the incumbent Warwick Smith by around 40 votes, only for Warwick Smith to win it back in 1996 by a similar margin.
As there is a large population of timber workers in the electorate, forestry has always been important issue in Bass. This was highlighted at the 2004 election, when the Australian Labor Party lost the seat - despite previous polling suggesting that they would hold it - after announcing a last-minute plan to drastically scale back logging in Tasmania if elected.
Federal Members for Bass
State Members for Bass (since 1979)
- Kim Booth (Greens) 2002-
- Jim Cox (Labor) 1989-92, 1996-
- Peter Gutwein (Liberal) 2002-
- Kathryn Hay (Labor) 2002-
- Sue Napier (Liberal) 1992-
- Peter Patmore (Labor) 1986-2002
- Frank Madill (Liberal) 1986-2002
- James Gill (Labor) -1989, 1992-2002
- John Beswick (Liberal) 1982-98
- Tony Benneworth (Liberal) 1992-98
- Lance Armstrong (Greens) 1989-96
- Neil Robson (Liberal) -1992
- Harry Holgate (Labor) -1992
- Peter Rae (Liberal) 1986-89
- Max Bushby (Liberal) -1986
- Brendan Lyons (Liberal) 1982-86
- Michael Barnard (Labor) -1986
- Richard Beswick (Liberal) 1979-82
- Mary Willey (Labor) 1979-82
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