Bassett was chair of the Windsor Road Taskforce, which campaigned for the upgrading of the key arterial route to the north west of Sydney.
[3] He first contested the seat of Londonderry at the 2007 election gaining 34.4 per cent of the vote on first preferences,[4] but was unsuccessful in defeating the incumbent Labor MP Allan Shearan.
[7] At a hearing of ICAC on 6 August 2014, it was alleged that Bassett had used his casting vote as mayor of Hawkesbury to approve a controversial development, a year before having an $18,000 donation credited to his 2011 state election campaign.
Responding to the allegation, he said his decision to vote in favour of an aged care development by Buildev, a company owned by mining magnate Nathan Tinkler, was based on a recommendation for approval by council staff and had gone through all the normal processes.
It found that Bassett had "Knowingly solicited a donation from a property developer"; however they did not recommenced the Director of Public Prosecutions pursue charges.