| Fourth Robertson ministry | |
|---|---|
 17th Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales | |
  Premier Sir John Robertson and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900) | |
| Date formed | 17 August 1877 (1877-08-17) |
| Date dissolved | 17 November 1877 (1877-11-17) |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Hercules Robinson |
| Head of government | Sir John Robertson |
| No. of ministers | 9 |
| Member party | unaligned |
| Status in legislature | Minority government |
| Opposition party | unaligned |
| Opposition leader | |
| History | |
| Outgoing election | 1877 |
| Predecessor | Second Parkes ministry |
| Successor | Farnell ministry |
The fourth Robertson ministry was the seventeenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by Sir John Robertson. It was the fourth of five occasions that Robertson led the Government. 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. The 1874–75 election had resulted in a challenging environment. Robertson was the leader of the government until March 1877 when he was unable to obtain supply and resigned, replaced by Henry Parkes. The Parkes government however only lasted until 16 August 1877, when Parkes was in turn unable to obtain supply and resigned to be replaced by Robertson.
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 however on this occasion a by-election was required for West Sydney (Sir John Robertson), East Sydney (John Davies), Orange (Edward Combes) and Central Cumberland (John Lackey and William Long). Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only Thomas Garrett (Camden) and Ezekiel Baker (Goldfields South) were re-elected unopposed.
Garrett had a disagreement with Robertson on the question of the Land Bill and resigned in October, however the resignation was not accepted until 19 November 1877. Garrett was succeeded by Baker, with Archibald Jacob replacing Baker as Secretary for Mines. A by-election was required for The Lower Hunter, but Jacob was comfortably re-elected.
This ministry covers the period from 17 August 1877 until 17 December 1877, when Robertson did not achieve a majority at the December 1877 election. Parkes did not obtain a majority either and the subsequent government was formed by James Farnell as a compromise Premier.
Composition of ministry
| Portfolio | Minister | Term start | Term end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Colonial Secretary |
Sir John Robertson | 17 August 1877 | 17 December 1877 | 122 days |
| Colonial Treasurer | William Long | |||
| Minister of Justice and Public Instruction | John Lackey | |||
| Secretary for Lands | Thomas Garrett | 19 November 1877 | 94 days | |
| Ezekiel Baker | 20 November 1877 | 17 December 1877 | 27 days | |
| Secretary for Mines | 17 August 1877 | 19 November 1877 | 94 days | |
| Archibald Jacob | 20 November 1877 | 17 December 1877 | 27 days | |
| Secretary for Public Works | Edward Combes | 17 August 1877 | 122 days | |
| Attorney General | William Dalley MLC | |||
| Postmaster-General | John Davies | |||
| Vice-President of the Executive Council Representative of the Government in Legislative Council |
Joseph Docker MLC |
Ministers were members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.
See also
- Members of Parliament
- 1874–1877 Legislative Assembly
- Legislative Council
- Robertson ministries
- First (1860–1861)
- Second (1868–1870)
- Third (1875–77)
- Fifth (1885–1886)
References
- "Legislative Assembly". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 March 1877. p. 5. Retrieved 18 February 2021 – via Trove.
- "In the Legislative Assembly". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 August 1877. p. 4. Retrieved 18 February 2021 – via Trove.
- Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp. 442. ISBN 9781862875166. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- Green, Antony. "1874-75 by-elections". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- "Hon. Sir J. Robertson". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 1877. p. 6. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via Trove.
- "Mr Thomas Garrett (1830-1891)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- Green, Antony. "1877 Lower Hunter by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
| Preceded bySecond Parkes ministry | Fourth Robertson ministry 1877 |
Succeeded byFarnell ministry |
