Commissioner of Public Works (South Australia)

Last updated

Commissioner of Public Works
Style The Honourable
Member of Cabinet
Reports to Parliament
Appointer Governor of South Australia
Term length At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation24 October 1856 (1856-10-24)
First holder Arthur Freeling
Final holder Kym Mayes
Abolished1 October 1992 (1992-10-01)

The Commissioner of Public Works was a member of Cabinet of the Government of South Australia.

Originally created for the Finniss Ministry on 24 October 1856, there were 63 holders of the public works portfolio. It was known as Commissioner for Public Works for most of its existence, however since the Playford Government in the 1960s, it was known as Minister for Works or Public Works.

The longest holder was Malcolm McIntosh, a member of the Liberal Federation/Liberal and Country League and a minister in the Butler and Playford governments, who held the portfolio on two separate occasions for a total of 23 years and 45 days. The last holder was Kym Mayes, a member of the Labor Party and a minister in Lynn Arnold's government. The title was abolished on 1 October 1992 and superseded by portfolio's for Infrastructure and Transport.

List of Commissioner of Public Works of South Australia

OrderMinisterPartyPremierTitleTerm startTerm endTerm in office
1 Arthur Freeling  No Party Finniss Commissioner of
Public Works
24 October 185620 March 1857147 days
2 Samuel Davenport 20 March 185721 August 1857154 days
3 Arthur Blyth Baker 21 August 18571 September 185711 days
n/aSamuel Davenport Torrens 1 September 185730 September 185729 days
4 Thomas Reynolds Hanson 30 September 185712 June 1858255 days
n/aArthur Blyth12 June 18589 May 18601 year, 332 days
5 Alexander Hay Reynolds 9 May 18608 October 18611 year, 152 days
6 Philip Santo Waterhouse 8 October 186117 October 18619 days
7 John Lindsay 17 October 186119 February 1862125 days
8 William Milne 19 February 18624 July 18631 year, 135 days
9 William Townsend Dutton 4 July 186315 July 186311 days
n/aPhilip Santo Ayers 15 July 18634 August 18641 year, 20 days
n/aWilliam Milne Blyth 4 August 186422 March 1865230 days
10 Francis Dutton Dutton 22 March 186520 September 1865182 days
n/aPhilip Santo Ayers 20 September 186523 October 186533 days
11 Thomas English Hart 23 October 186528 March 18661 year, 192 days
Boucaut 28 March 18663 May 1867
n/aPhilip Santo Ayers 3 May 186724 September 18681 year, 144 days
12 William Everard Hart 24 September 186812 October 186818 days
n/aPhilip Santo Ayers 13 October 18683 November 186821 days
13 John Colton Strangways 3 November 186812 May 18701 year, 190 days
14 Friedrich Krichauff 12 May 187030 May 187018 days
15 John Carr Hart 30 May 187010 November 18711 year, 237 days
Blyth 10 November 187122 January 1872
16 James Ramsay Ayers 22 January 18724 March 187242 days
17 Wentworth Cavenagh 4 March 187222 July 18731 year, 140 days
18 Henry Bright Blyth 22 July 18733 June 18751 year, 316 days
19 William West-Erskine Boucaut 3 June 18752 February 1876244 days
20 James Boucaut 2 February 18766 June 1876125 days
21 John Colton Colton 6 June 187626 October 18771 year, 142 days
22 George Hawker Boucaut 26 October 187727 September 18783 years, 241 days
Morgan 27 September 187824 June 1881
n/aJames Ramsay Bray 24 June 188123 April 18842 years, 304 days
23 David Bower 23 April 188416 June 188454 days
24 Thomas Playford II Colton 16 June 18844 February 1885233 days
25 Jenkin Coles 4 February 188516 June 1885132 days
26 John Darling Downer 16 June 188514 October 1885120 days
27 John Spence 14 October 18858 June 1886237 days
28 Luke Furner 8 June 188611 June 18871 year, 3 days
29 Alfred Catt Playford II 11 June 188727 June 18892 years, 16 days
30 James Howe Cockburn 27 June 18892 May 1890309 days
31 Thomas Burgoyne 2 May 189019 August 1890109 days
32 William Rounsevell Playford II 19 August 18906 January 18921 year, 140 days
33 John Jenkins 6 January 189221 June 1892167 days
34 Andrew Handyside Holder 21 June 189215 October 1892116 days
35 Lawrence Grayson Downer 15 October 189212 May 1893209 days
No Holder12 May 189316 June 189335 days
36 Frederick Holder Liberalism Kingston 16 June 189317 April 1894305 days
37 John Jenkins 17 April 18941 December 18995 years, 228 days
n/aAndrew Handyside No Party Solomon 1 December 18998 December 18997 days
38 Richard Foster Holder 8 December 189915 May 19014 years, 209 days
Jenkins 15 May 19014 July 1904
No Holder4 July 19041 March 1905240 days
n/aRichard Foster No Party Butler 1 March 190526 July 1905147 days
39 Thomas Price   Labor Price 26 July 19055 June 19093 years, 314 days
40 Laurence O'Loughlin   Farmers &
Producers Union
Peake 5 June 19093 June 1910363 days
41 John Verran   Labor Verran 3 June 191017 February 19121 year, 259 days
42 Richard Butler Liberal Union Peake 17 February 191219 November 19142 years, 275 days
43 George Ritchie 19 November 19143 April 1915135 days
44 Harry Jackson   Labor Vaughan 3 April 191514 July 19172 years, 102 days
45 John Bice Liberal Union Peake 14 July 191715 May 19191 year, 305 days
46 George Ritchie 15 May 19198 April 1920329 days
47 William Hague Barwell 8 April 19203 November 19222 years, 209 days
48 Thomas Pascoe 3 November 192216 October 19231 year, 11 days
Liberal Federation 16 October 192314 November 1923
49 George Jenkins 14 November 192316 April 1924154 days
50 Lionel Hill   Labor Gunn 16 April 192428 August 19262 years, 134 days
51 John McInnes Hill 28 August 19268 April 1927223 days
52 Malcolm McIntosh Liberal Federation Butler 8 April 192717 April 19303 years, 9 days
n/aJohn McInnes  Labor Hill 17 April 193013 February 19333 years, 1 day
Richards 13 February 193318 April 193364 days
53 Herbert Hudd Liberal &
Country League
Butler 18 April 19338 April 19384 years, 355 days
n/aMalcolm McIntosh Playford 8 April 193814 December 194420 years, 36 days
Minister for
Works
14 December 194414 May 1958
54 Colin Rowe 14 May 195825 June 195842 days
55 Glen Pearson 25 June 195810 March 19656 years, 258 days
56 Cyril Hutchens   Labor Walsh 10 March 19651 June 19673 years, 38 days
Dunstan 1 June 196717 April 1968
57 John Coumbe Liberal &
Country League
Hall 17 April 19682 March 19701 year, 319 days
58 Allan Rodda 2 March 19702 June 197092 days
59 Des Corcoran   Labor Dunstan 2 June 197015 February 19798 years, 286 days
Corcoran 15 February 197915 March 1979
60 John Wright Minister for
Public Works
15 March 197918 September 1979187 days
61 Dean Brown   Liberal Tonkin 18 September 197910 November 19823 years, 53 days
n/aJohn Wright  Labor Bannon 10 November 198219 February 19841 year, 101 days
62 Terry Hemmings 19 February 198414 December 19895 years, 298 days
63 Kym Mayes 14 December 19894 September 19922 years, 292 days
Arnold 4 September 19921 October 1992

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