Sitting Liberal MP Alan Brown resigned less than a year after the state election, precipitating a by-election.
Labor declined to stand a candidate for this very safe Liberal seat; most of the area covered by Gippsland West had been in the hands of a conservative party for more than a century and a half.
Prior to the 2002 election, Gippsland West was essentially replaced by the newly created seat of Bass, which was notionally Liberal in a traditional matchup.
Davies contested Bass, but was pushed into third place on the primary vote behind former Liberal MLC Ken Smith.
Davies now runs a small farm in South Gippsland, is part of a local food producers' network, ”Grow Lightly” and Korumburra Landcare.