Bassendean

Margin: Labor 5.2%
Region: East Metropolitan
Federal: Perth (64%); Cowan (36%)

RESULTS AT 2013 ELECTION
HISTORICAL TWO-PARTY RESULTS
PREVIOUS ELECTION RESULTS MAP

Candidates in ballot paper order

GRAEME MARTIN Micro Business Party JIM SETH Liberal (centre) DAVE KELLY Labor (top) PAUL WILLIAM MEWHOR Australian Christians SARAH QUINTON Greens (bottom)

The safe Labor seat of Bassendean covers suburbs in Perth's north-east, from Bassendean and Ashfield through Morley and Lockridge to Beechboro. The redistribution adds small areas of Bayswater east of Tonkin Highway at the southern end of the electorate, formerly in the seat of Maylands, adding 1000 voters and 0.1% to the Labor margin.

Bassendean has been held for Labor since the 2013 election by Dave Kelly, former state secretary of the most powerful Left faction union, United Voice. Kelly is the third member to have held the seat for Labor since its creation in 1996, after Clive Brown and Martin Whiteley, who succeeded Brown in 2005. Whitely won Roleystone for Labor at the 2001 election, then moved from a marginal seat to a safe one after Roleystone was abolished, and Geoff Gallop enlisted the party's national executive to protect all sitting members, thereby heading off a looming round of turf wars.

Dave Kelly's preselection before the 2013 election was reportedly achieved with help from an arrangement betwee United Voice and with Right faction Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. This also secured top position on the Senate ticket for the latter's state secretary, Joe Bullock, at the expense of Left faction incumbent Louise Pratt. Kelly won immediate promotion to shadow cabinet after the election, and has since held the water, fisheries and youth portfolio.