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All 72 seats in theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly 37 Assembly seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without member charts indicate the electorate returned one member. | |||||||||||||||||||
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The1860 New South Wales colonial election was held between 6 December and 24 December 1860. This election was for all of the 72 seats in theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in 52 single-member constituencies, six 2-member constituencies and two 4-member constituencies, all with afirst past the post system.[2] Suffrage was limited to adult white males. This was the first election after theseparation of Queensland in December 1859.
The previous parliament ofNew South Wales was dissolved on 10 November 1860 by theGovernor,Sir William Denison, on the advice of thePremier,John Robertson.
While there was no recognisable party structure at this election, theSydney Morning Herald identified three main factions in the Legislative Assembly. 38 members were considered to support the government, 11 were in opposition, and a further 23 that supportedHenry Parkes or were uncommitted to supporting the government.[1]
Although Robertson won the election, he relinquished the premiership toCharles Cowper to concentrate on passing land reform bills as Secretary of Lands.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 November 1860 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by theGovernor to proceed with an election. |
| 5 December to 21 December 1860 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed. |
| 6 December to 24 December 1860 | Polling days. |
| 10 January 1861 | Opening of new Parliament. |
New South Wales colonial election, 6 December 1860 – 24 December 1860 [2] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolled voters | 91,410 | |||||
| Votes cast | 46,308 | Turnout | 42.91 [a] | –9.63 | ||
| Informal votes | 48 | Informal | 0.17 | +0.09 | ||
| Summary of votes by party | ||||||
| Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Total | 46,308 | 72 | ||||
