Dibbs ministry (1885)

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First Dibbs ministry
21st Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales
George Dibbs Federation Conference 1884.jpg Australian states history 13.gif
Premier George Dibbs and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900)
Date formed7 October 1885 (1885-10-07)
Date dissolved21 December 1885 (1885-12-21)
People and organisations
Head of state Queen Victoria (represented by Lord Augustus Loftus and subsequently The Lord Carrington)
Head of government George Dibbs
No. of ministers10
Member partyunaligned
Status in legislatureMinority government
Opposition partyunaligned
Opposition leader John Robertson
History
Predecessor Stuart ministry
Successor Fifth Robertson ministry

The first Dibbs ministry was the 21st ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was the first of three occasions of being led by the Premier, George Dibbs. Dibbs was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1874.

Contents

The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but was not a formal position in the government until 1920. Instead the Premier was appointed to another portfolio, usually Colonial Secretary, but on this occasion Dibbs kept the portfolio of Colonial Treasurer he had held in the Stuart ministry.

There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. [1] Under the constitution, ministers in the Legislative Assembly were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. [2] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested and on this occasion most of the ministers had been appointed prior to the election in October 1885. The two new ministers, Thomas Slattery (Boorowa) and William Lyne (The Hume), were re-elected unopposed. [3]

This ministry covers the period from 7 October 1885 until 21 December 1885. Dibbs took over as Premier following the October 1885 resignation of Sir Alexander Stuart due to ill-health. At the subsequent election Dibbs' government polled badly and despite attempting to govern; less than three months later when it became clear that there would be a budget deficit of over £1m. [4] [5] [6] Dibbs was succeeded by Sir John Robertson. [7]

Composition of ministry

PortfolioMinisterTerm startTerm endTerm length
Premier George Dibbs 7 October 188521 December 188575 days
Colonial Treasurer 10 October 188572 days
Colonial Secretary 7 October 18859 October 18852 days
Sir Patrick Jennings 10 October 188521 December 188572 days
Minister of Public Instruction William Trickett 7 October 188575 days
Representative of the Government in Legislative Council George Thornton MLC 13 November 188521 December 188538 days
James Farnell MLC 7 October 18859 October 18852 days
Minister of Justice
Thomas Slattery 2 November 188521 December 188549 days
Attorney General Jack Want 7 October 188575 days
Secretary for Lands Joseph Abbott
Secretary for Public Works Henry Badgery 31 October 188524 days
William Lyne 2 November 188521 December 188549 days
Postmaster-General John See 7 October 188575 days
Secretary for Mines Francis Wright 17 October 188510 days
George Thornton MLC 13 November 188521 December 188538 days

Ministers are members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.

See also

Related Research Articles

George Dibbs Australian politician

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Dibbs ministry (1889)

The second Dibbs ministry was the 25th ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was the second of three occasions of being led by the tenth Premier, George Dibbs. Dibbs was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1874. In a period of great financial stress for the Colony, this ministry covers just 49 days from 17 January 1889 until 7 March 1889. Dibbs took over as Premier on the first occasion in October 1885 following resignation of the Alexander Stuart due to ill-health, with his ministry lasting for 75 days. Dibbs served as Colonial Secretary in the Jennings ministry, before it too suffered budgetary pressures. It was during this time that the party system was formed in New South Wales with Sir Henry Parkes leading the Free Trade Party. Dibbs had been elected as an independent free trader, however his opposition to Parkes caused Dibbs to align himself with the Protectionist Party. Dibbs had assumed office when Parkes lost a vote on the floor of the Assembly. Parliament was dissolved on 19 January 1889 and an election was held in February. There was a significant swing to the Protectionists, gaining 29 seats, however it was insufficient to command a majority of the Legislative Assembly and Parkes resumed the premiership.

Dibbs ministry (1891–1894)

The third Dibbs ministry, the 27th ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, was led by Sir George Dibbs, leader of the Protectionist Party, following the 1891 New South Wales election, which saw the Labour Party win seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and the balance of power. With no party having a majority, Sir Henry Parkes held on as Premier until October 1891 when he lost a vote in the Legislative Assembly, causing Parkes to resign as Premier and leader of the Free Trade Party. Dibbs formed the ministry on 23 October 1891, with Labour support, and comprised 10 ministers.

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References

  1. ↑ Green, Antony (20 October 2010). "Centenary of the First NSW Labor Government". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp.  442. ISBN   9781862875166 . Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Green, Antony. "By-elections 1885-87". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Mansfield, Bruce E. "Dibbs, Sir George Richard (1834–1904)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press. ISSN   1833-7538 . Retrieved 5 July 2019– via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  5. ↑ "Sir George Richard Dibbs (1834–1904)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  6. ↑ Serle, Percival (1949). "Dibbs, Sir George Richard (1834–1904)". Dictionary of Australian Biography . Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 6 March 2021.

 

Preceded by
Stuart ministry 		First Dibbs ministry
1885		Succeeded by
Fifth Robertson ministry
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