| First Robertson ministry | |
|---|---|
 6th Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales | |
  Premier John Robertson and the Colony of New South Wales (1860–1862) | |
| Date formed | 8 March 1860 (1860-03-08) |
| Date dissolved | 9 January 1861 (1861-01-09) |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Governor | William Denison |
| Head of government | John Robertson |
| No. of ministers | 5 |
| Member party | unaligned |
| Status in legislature | Minority government |
| Opposition party | unaligned |
| Opposition leader | |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Forster ministry |
| Successor | Third Cowper ministry |
The first Robertson ministry was the sixth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by John Robertson. It was the first of five occasions that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856.
The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.
There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested and on this occasion John Robertson (The Upper Hunter), William Arnold (The Paterson) and Elias Weekes (West Maitland) were all re-elected unopposed.
This ministry covers the period from 9 March 1860 until 9 January 1861, when Robertson resigned his commission.
Composition of ministry
| Portfolio | Minister | Term start | Term end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Secretary for Lands |
John Robertson | 9 March 1860 | 9 January 1861 | 306 days |
| Colonial Secretary | Charles Cowper MLC / MLA | |||
| Colonial Treasurer | Elias Weekes | |||
| Secretary for Public Works | William Arnold | |||
| Attorney General Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council |
John Hargrave MLC |
Ministers are members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.
- Charles Cowper was a member of the Legislative Council until the election in December 1860 when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the member for East Sydney.
See also
- Self-government in New South Wales
- Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1860–1864
- Second Robertson ministry (1868–1870)
- Third Robertson ministry (1875–1877)
- Fourth Robertson ministry (1877)
- Fifth Robertson ministry (1885–1886)
References
- Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp. 442. ISBN 9781862875166. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- Green, Antony. "1859-60 by-elections". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- "Sir Charles Cowper [1] (1807–1875)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
| Preceded byForster ministry | First Robertson ministry 1860–1861 |
Succeeded byThird Cowper ministry |
