1848 New South Wales colonial election

Last updated

1848 New South Wales colonial election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1843 29 July 1848 –
2 August 1848
1851  

24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council

The 1848 New South Wales colonial election was held between 29 July and 2 August 1848. This election was for 24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council and it was conducted in 15 single-member constituencies, two 2-member constituencies and one 5-member constituency, all with a first past the post system. The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 36 members, 24 elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office (Colonial Secretary, Colonial Treasurer, Auditor-General, Attorney General, Commander of the forces and Collector of Customs) [1] and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms. [2] [3] [4] [5] <

Contents

The right to vote was limited to men aged over 21 who owned property worth at least £200 or occupied a house at £20 per year. [6] There was a higher requirement to be a member of the Council, owning property worth £2,000 or income from real estate of £100 per year. [1] If a man fulfilled these requirements in multiple constituencies, then he was allowed to cast a vote in each. [7] This was known as plural voting. [8]

Settlers of the Port Phillip District had wanted representation in the New South Wales Legislative Council for some time, achieving 6 representatives from 1843, "But the colonists were not satisfied with government from and by Sydney". [9] [10] The campaign for independence for the district saw Earl Grey elected as the member for City of Melbourne. Earl Grey, the Colonial Secretary in London, had never set foot in the colony and there was no suggestion he met the property requirement for election. [11] A different tactic was adopted for the 5 member Port Phillip, with no candidates nominated on 27 July, [12] and a fresh writ was issued on 25 August for an election on 3 October. [13]

Key dates

DateEvent
25 to 27 July 1848Nominations for candidates for the election. [14]
29 July and 2 August 1848Polling days. [14]
15 May 1849Opening of Legislative Council. [15]

Results

New South Wales colonial election, 29 July 1848 – 2 August 1848
Legislative Council
<< 18431851 >>

Enrolled voters
Votes cast8,887 Turnout
Informal votes0Informal0.00
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
Total8,887  24 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Port Phillip</span>

The Electoral district of Port Phillip was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council before it became the separate colony of Victoria (Australia) on 1 July 1851. At the time, some members of the Council were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. The Town of Melbourne returned one member while the Port Phillip district, which covered the rest of what became Victoria after its separation in 1851, returned five members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Town of Melbourne</span>

The Electoral district of Town of Melbourne was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council before it became part of the Colony of Victoria on 1 July 1851.

This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1843 to 1851. The 1843 Electoral Act prescribed 36 members, 24 to be elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms and thus occurred in 1843, and 1848. The Speaker was Alexander Macleay until 19 May 1846 and then Charles Nicholson. The parliament was dissolved on 30 June 1851 as a result of the 1851 Electoral Act which increased the number of members in the Council to 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of County of Camden</span>

The Electoral district of County of Camden was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of County of Durham</span>

The Electoral district of County of Durham was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. It was named after Durham County, which lies on the north side of the Hunter River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Counties of Gloucester, Macquarie, and Stanley</span>

The Electoral district of Counties of Gloucester, Macquarie, and Stanley and from 1851, Gloucester and Macquarie, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The counties of Gloucester and Macquarie were the settled coastal areas north of Northumberland County, while the County of Stanley was the area surrounding Brisbane, in what became part of Queensland after its separation in 1859. Polling took place at Raymond Terrace, Port Macquarie, Dungog, Stroud, Brisbane, Ipswich and Mr Rowley's residence on the Manning River. The County of Stanley was removed from the district with the expansion of the Council in 1851 and became the districts of County of Stanley and Stanley Boroughs.

Donald McIntyre, sometimes referred to as Donald MacIntyre, was a Scottish-Australian colonial politician, who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1848 to 1851.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Counties of Cook and Westmoreland</span> Former legislative council electoral district of New South Wales, Australia

The Electoral district of Counties of Cook and Westmoreland, also known as the United Midland Counties of Cook and Westmoreland, was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor.

The electoral district of Cumberland Boroughs, also known as the united towns of Windsor, Richmond, Liverpool and Campbelltown, was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when two thirds were elected, one sixth were official members, that is they held a government office and the balance were appointed by the Governor.

The 1843 New South Wales colonial election, the first in the colony, was held between 15 June and 3 July 1843, to elect 24 members from 18 electoral districts. Each district returned 1 member except for Port Phillip which returned 5 members while County of Cumberland, and Town of Sydney returned 2 each.

The 1848 New South Wales colonial election was held between 29 July and 2 August. No candidates were nominated for Port Phillip as a result of the campaign for independence from New South Wales, and a fresh writ was issued for an election on 3 October.

The Electoral district of Counties of Hunter, Brisbane and Bligh and from 1851, Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The electoral district included the north western counties of Hunter, Brisbane, Bligh. Polling took place in the towns of Jerrys Plains, nearby Merton, Muswellbrook, Scone, as far north as Murrurundi, Watson's on the Macdonald River, Cassilis and as far west as Montefiores. With the expansion of the Council in 1851 Phillip, the other north west county, was added to the district, replacing Hunter which was combined with the lower Hunter county of Northumberland as Counties of Northumberland and Hunter.

The Electoral district of Counties of St Vincent and Auckland was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The electoral district consisted of the two south coast counties of St Vincent and Auckland, extending from Jervis Bay south to Eden and west to Braidwood. Polling took place at Jervis Bay, Ulladulla, Braidwood, Broulee and Eden. The district was abolished with the expansion of the Council in 1851. St Vincent was combined with Murray to the west as the Counties of Murray and St Vincent while Auckland became part of the Pastoral District of Maneroo.

The Electoral district of Counties of Roxburgh, Phillip and Wellington and from 1851, Roxburgh and Wellington, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The electoral district included the western counties of Roxburgh, Phillip, Wellington County. Polling took place at Montefiores, Mudgee, Bathurst and Hartley. The County of Phillip was removed from the district with the expansion of the Council in 1851 and became part of the Counties of Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of County of Northumberland</span> Former legislative council electoral district of New South Wales, Australia

The Electoral district of County of Northumberland and from 1851, Northumberland and Hunter, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The County of Northumberland was bounded by the part of the Hawkesbury River to the south, the Macdonald River to the south-west, and the Hunter River to the north, however the electoral district did not include the towns of East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle which made up the district of Northumberland Boroughs. Polling took place at Gosford, Newcastle, East Maitland, Wollombi, Singleton and Watson's on the Macdonald River. The County of Hunter was added to the district with the expansion of the Council in 1851 and elected two members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Northumberland Boroughs (NSW Legislative Council)</span> Former New South Wales Legislative Council electoral district

The Electoral district of Northumberland Boroughs was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. From 1843 until 1851 the electorate covered the major towns or boroughs of Northumberland County, East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle, and polling took place at East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle. Morpeth was added to the electorate from 1851 while Newcastle was removed from the electorate to form, with Raymond Terrace, the North Eastern Boroughs. The rest of Northumberland County was covered by the County of Northumberland from 1843 until 1951, and Counties of Northumberland and Hunter from 1851 until 1856.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Town of Parramatta</span>

The Electoral district of Town of Parramatta was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843, at the time the principal residence of the Governor Sir Charles FitzRoy. Polling took place at Parramatta. In 1856, the unicameral Legislative Council was abolished and replaced with an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council. The district was represented by the Legislative Assembly Parramatta, the only electorate to have existed continuously since the first Legislative Assembly election in 1856.

The 1843 New South Wales colonial election was held between 15 June and 3 July 1843. This election was for 24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council and it was conducted in 15 single-member constituencies, two 2-member constituencies and one 5-member constituency, all with a first past the post system. This included 6 members in what became the Colony of Victoria and a single member for the coast north of Newcastle. The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 36 members, 24 elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms.

The 1851 New South Wales colonial election was held between 12 and 25 September. This election was for 36 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council. The 1848 election had been for 5 year terms however the parliament had been reconstituted following the separation of Victoria. At the same time the council was expanded from 36 to 54 members. The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 18 appointed members and 36 elected. The Port Philip districts had 6 elected members, which meant there were an additional 18 seats. There were 3 new districts for the northern regions of what would later become Queensland, Stanley, Stanley Boroughs and the pastoral districts of Moreton, Wide Bay, Burnett, and Maranoa and 7 new pastoral districts in western New South Wales. The other 8 additional seats were distributed among the nineteen counties of New South Wales.

References

  1. 1 2 Flanagan, Roderick (1862). The History of New South Wales. Sampson Low, Son & Company. p. 60. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. "Elected members of the Legislative Council (58)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 11 July 1843. p. 893. Retrieved 27 April 2019 via Trove.
  3. "Proclamation: appointed members of the Legislative Council (62)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 25 July 1843. p. 952. Retrieved 23 April 2019 via Trove.
  4. "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  5. "Part 3 Members of the Legislative Council" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  6. Darragh, Sean (August 2018). "175 years of voting: the 175th anniversary of the first parliamentary election on 1843" (PDF). Electoral Regulation Research Network and Democratic Audit of Australia working paper No 47.
  7. "Australia's first election— 1843". The Argus . 29 September 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 29 October 2021 via Trove.
  8. "1856 to 1889 - Responsible Government and Colonial Development".
  9. Coghlan, Timothy Augustine; Levey, George Collins (1911). "Victoria (Australia)"  . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37–44.
  10. M.M.H. Thompson (2006). The Seeds of Democracy: Early Elections in Colonial New South Wales. p. 151. ISBN   9781862876316.
  11. "Contemporary opinions on the late election movements". Geelong Advertiser . 29 July 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 23 May 2019 via Trove.
    "Apology for Earl Grey's election". The Port Phillip Patriot and Morning Advertiser . 31 July 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 26 May 2019 via Trove.
  12. "Melbourne". Geelong Advertiser . 27 July 1848. p. 4. Retrieved 26 May 2019 via Trove.
  13. "Writ of election: Port Phillip (91)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 25 August 1848. p. 1065. Retrieved 26 May 2019 via Trove.
  14. 1 2 "Writs for a general election (68)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 27 June 1848. p. 799. Retrieved 26 May 2019 via Trove.
  15. "Legislative Council". The Sydney Morning Herald . 2 August 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 29 October 2021 via Trove.