Legislative Assembly · District of Bass
Chris Jobe
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bass›
Bass covers a mix of outer-suburban and rural/coastal areas southeast of Melbourne, including Clyde, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Grantville, Wonthaggi, Inverloch, Cape Paterson and Phillip Island. Created in 2002 from traditionally conservative territory, the seat was held by the Liberals until Jordan Crugnale (Labor) became the first Labor member ever to win it in 2018. At the 2022 election Labor's Crugnale retained Bass by just 202 votes (50.24% to 49.76% two-candidate-preferred), making it the most marginal seat in Victoria. Crugnale announced on 2 October 2025 that she would not recontest the seat in 2026, so none of the current declared candidates is the sitting member.
Background
Works as a public school teacher and musician, per his Victorian Socialists profile. SSelf-stated — VS-JOBEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Jobe"View source
Is a member of the Australian Education Union and the Socialists in Schools rank-and-file organising group. SSelf-stated — VS-JOBEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Jobe"View source
His profile does not name his school, and his employment was not independently confirmed.
Bass Coast Post describes him as a Bass resident. RReported — BCP-MEETBass Coast Post, "Meet your candidates"View source
His profile says he is a father of three with a grandchild on the way, and names no suburb or years in the electorate. SSelf-stated — VS-JOBEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Jobe"View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Ending privatisation and securing full public school funding.
"I believe we need an economy and society that puts people before profit."
Told Bass Coast Post: "I will fight to end privatisation and build a society where everyone has what they need to live a full, secure and meaningful life."
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Says the economy should put people before profit; no specific cost-of-living measure is attributed to him.
The party's fiscal policy would fund services with a 10% annual wealth tax on billionaires, a 20% bank profits tax and a 20% super-profits tax on retailers earning over $100 million.
Crime and community safety
Jobe has made no personal statement on crime or policing.
The party's policing policy would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16, presume bail for all offences, disarm police on patrol and hold a Royal Commission into policing.
Housing affordability and supply
Jobe has made no personal housing statement.
The party's housing policy would cut all residential rents 25% then freeze them for five years, and build at least 15,000 public housing units a year for ten years.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party's fiscal policy focuses on new revenue, including a 10% annual billionaire wealth tax, a 5% luxury property tax and doubled payroll tax on firms with wages over $5 million.
No position on state debt levels was found, and nothing on it is attributed to Jobe.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Lists ending privatisation as a core priority, without naming a project.
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would reverse privatisation, make public transport free and upgrade regional rail.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
Names securing full public school funding as a core priority; he is a public school teacher and Australian Education Union member.
Bass Coast Post reports the "lack of public school funding" as his key campaign concern.
The party's education policy would cut state funding to high-fee private schools, cap class sizes at 15 and hire 12,000 additional teachers and support staff.
It would also fully fund the AEU's log of claims in the 2026 Victorian Government Schools Agreement and abolish VCE for a strengths-based curriculum.
Health and healthcare access
A summary of the party's health policy says it would fully fund public healthcare and expand free community clinics; nothing is attributed to Jobe personally.
Urban planning and housing density
A summary of the party's planning policy says it would end public land sales and require developers to fund community amenities; nothing is attributed to Jobe personally.
Climate and energy transition
A summary of the party's energy and climate policies says it would take power into public ownership, move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy and end old-growth logging; nothing is attributed to Jobe personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
A summary of the party's First Nations policy says it wants a treaty with material change beyond symbolic recognition; nothing is attributed to Jobe personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
A summary of the party's rural policy says it would rebuild regional transport, secure jobs and end rural worker exploitation; nothing is attributed to Jobe personally.
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
Jobe's priorities (ending privatisation, full public school funding, people before profit) restate the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and his education focus matches the party's school policy. SSelf-stated — VS-JOBE, VS-POLICY-EDUCATIONVictorian Socialists, "Chris Jobe"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Education"View source
No point of divergence was found. He has made few individual policy statements beyond education, so most positions above are the party's, not his.
Track record & prior candidacies
His candidate profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — VS-JOBEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Jobe"View source
No candidate named Chris Jobe appears among the ten candidates listed for the 2022 Bass state election, and no Victorian Socialists candidate is listed there. VVerified — VEC-BASS-2022Victorian Electoral Commission, "Bass District results — 2022 state election"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
Jobe has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.