# Electoral district of Bega

Bega is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Michael Holland of the Labor Party.
Bega is a regional electorate in the southeastern corner of the state. It encompasses the entirety of Bega Valley Shire and Eurobodalla Shire. Its population centres include Bega, Tathra, Merimbula, Eden, Bemboka, Eurobodalla Shire, Moruya, Batemans Bay and Narooma.

## History

In 1894, single-member electorates were introduced statewide and the two-member electorate of Eden was split into Bega and Eden–Bombala. In 1904 Eden-Bombala was abolished as a result of the 1903 New South Wales referendum which reduced the number of members of the Legislative Assembly from 125 to 90 and part of the district was absorbed by Bega. In 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into Goulburn, along with Monaro. It was recreated in 1988.
Bega has historically tended to be a safe conservative seat, although demographic change has led to the seat becoming increasingly marginal for the Liberal Party for much of the early part of the 21st century. The Liberal margin blew out in their 2011 landslide, along with many other Liberal-held country seats. Despite the Liberals suffering a 10-point swing against them in 2015, they retained it and did so again in 2019.
Following the decision of the incumbent member Andrew Constance to resign in order to run in Gilmore at the 2022 Federal Election, a by-election was held in 2022 which saw Labor's Michael Holland win the seat with a substantial 14-point swing. This was the first time Labor had won Bega. Holland consolidated his hold on the seat at the 2023 state election, turning Bega into a safe Labor seat in one stroke.

## Members for Bega

First incarnation (1894–1920) :
| Member | Member | Party | Period |
| | Thomas Rawlinson | Ind. Protectionist | 1894–1895 |
| | Henry Clarke | Ind. Protectionist | 1895–1898 |
| | Henry Clarke | Protectionist | 1898–1901 |
| | Henry Clarke | Progressive | 1901–1904 |
| | William Wood | Liberal Reform | 1904–1913 |
| | William Millard | Liberal Reform | 1913–1916 |
| | William Millard | Nationalist | 1916–1920 |
| Second incarnation (1988–present) ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Period |
| | Russell Smith | Liberal | 1988–2003 |
| | Andrew Constance | Liberal | 2003–2021 |
| | Michael Holland | Labor | 2022–present |

## Election results

2023 New South Wales state election: Bega :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Michael Holland | 23,294 | 45.07 | +14.48 |
| | Liberal | Russell Fitzpatrick | 16,268 | 31.48 | −17.43 |
| | Greens | Cathy Griff | 4,322 | 8.36 | −1.39 |
| | Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Debra Abbott | 3,802 | 7.36 | +0.90 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Greg White | 2,043 | 3.95 | +3.95 |
| | Independent | Jeffrey Hawkins | 1,199 | 2.32 | +2.32 |
| | Sustainable Australia | Karin Geiselhart | 756 | 1.46 | +1.46 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 51,684 | 97.19 | +0.01 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,495 | 2.81 | −0.01 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,179 | 88.99 | −0.76 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Michael Holland | 27,835 | 60.40 | +17.33 |
| | Liberal | Russell Fitzpatrick | 18,248 | 39.60 | −17.33 |
| | Labor gain from Liberal | Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | +17.33 | |