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1851 New South Wales colonial election

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.[1] 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.

1851 New South Wales colonial election
← 1848 12 – 25 September 1851 1856 →
36 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council
Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without circles indicate the electorate returned one member.

The election was conducted with a first past the post system for five year terms.[2][3][4][5] The right to vote was limited to men aged over 21 who owned property worth at least £100 or occupied a house at £10 per year.[1] If a man fulfilled these requirements in multiple constituencies, then he was allowed to cast a vote in each.[6] This was known as plural voting.[7]

In 14 out of 31 districts the candidate was elected unopposed, including all eight pastoral districts, which were seen as representing the interests of squatters.[8]

In 1856 the unicameral Legislative Council was abolished and replaced with an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council.

There would not be another general election for the Legislative Council until 1978.

Key dates

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Date Event
25 to 27 July 1848 Nominations for candidates for the election.[9]
12 – 25 September 1851 Polling days.[9]
14 October 1851 Opening of Legislative Council.[10]

Results

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Main article: Results of the 1851 New South Wales colonial election

New South Wales colonial election, 12 – 25 September 1851 
Legislative Council
<< 1843–1851 >>

Enrolled voters
Votes cast 10,201 Turnout
Informal votes 0 Informal 0
Summary of votes by party
Party Primary votes % Swing Seats Change
Total 10,201     36  

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Electoral Act of 1851 No 4 (NSW)
  2. ^ "Elected members of the Legislative Council (113)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 10 October 1851. p. 1622. Retrieved 31 October 2021 – via Trove.
  3. ^ "Proclamation: appointments to the Legislative Council (114)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 13 October 1851. p. 1640. Retrieved 24 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. ^ "Australia's first election— 1843". The Argus. 29 September 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "1856 to 1889 - Responsible Government and Colonial Development".
  8. ^ "Who represents the colony?". The Empire. 10 December 1853. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Trove.
  9. ^ a b "Writs for a general election (88)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 1 August 1851. p. 1267. Retrieved 31 October 2021 – via Trove.
  10. ^ "Legislative Council". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 October 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 31 October 2021 – via Trove.
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