The Jennings ministry was the 23rd ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the eleventh Premier, Sir Patrick Jennings, and the first Roman Catholic to hold the office of Colonial Premier.[1] Jennings was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 1869–70 election, and then again in 1880.
Jennings ministry | |
|---|---|
 23rd Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales | |
  Premier Sir Patrick Jennings and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900) | |
| Date formed | 26 February 1886 |
| Date dissolved | 19 January 1887 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Governor | The Lord Carrington |
| Premier | Sir Patrick Jennings |
| No. of ministers | 10 |
| Member party | unaligned |
| Status in legislature | Minority government |
| Opposition party | unaligned |
| Opposition leader | |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Fifth Robertson ministry |
| Successor | Fourth Parkes ministry |
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 Jenning chose the portfolio of Colonial Treasurer.
There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887.[2] Under the constitution, ministers in the Legislative Assembly were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed.[3] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested and on this occasion a poll was required for Bathurst (Francis Suttor) and Redfern (Arthur Renwick) however both were re-elected. The other ministers were re-elected unopposed.[4]
This ministry covers the period from 26 February 1886 until 19 January 1887. Jennings took over as Premier following the February 1886 resignation of Sir John Robertson.[5] Jennings' ministry was beset by financial difficulties,[1][5] lasted only 11 months, and was succeeded by Henry Parkes.[6]
Composition of ministry
edit| Portfolio | Minister | Term start | Term end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Colonial Treasurer |
Sir Patrick Jennings | 26 February 1886 | 19 January 1887 | 327 days |
| Colonial Secretary | George Dibbs | |||
| Minister of Public Instruction | Arthur Renwick | |||
| Minister of Justice | James Garvan | |||
| Attorney General | Jack Want | |||
| Secretary for Lands | Henry Copeland | |||
| Secretary for Public Works | William Lyne | |||
| Postmaster-General | Francis Suttor | |||
| Secretary for Mines | James Fletcher | 23 December 1886 | 300 days | |
| Charles Mackellar MLC | 24 December 1886 | 19 January 1887 | 24 days | |
| Representative of the Government in Legislative Council Vice-President of the Executive Council |
26 February 1886 | 23 December 1886 | 300 days |
Ministers are members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.
See also
edit
- Members of Parliament
- 1885–1887 Legislative Assembly
- Legislative Council
References
edit- ^ a b Serle, Percival (1949). "Jennings, Sir Patrick Alfred (1831–1897)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Green, Antony (20 October 2010). "Centenary of the First NSW Labor Government". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012.
- ^ Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp. 442. ISBN 9781862875166. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Green, Antony. "By-elections 1885-87". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ a b Cahill, A. E. "Jennings, Sir Patrick Alfred (1831–1897)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 March 2021.