Fourth Robertson ministry | |
|---|---|
 17th Cabinet of theColony of New South Wales | |
  PremierSir 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 |
Thefourth Robertson ministry was the seventeenth ministry of theColony of New South Wales, and was led bySir John Robertson. It was the fourth of five occasions that Robertson led the Government. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly held inMarch 1856.
The title ofPremier 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. The1874–75 election had resulted in a challenging environment. Robertson was the leader of the government until March 1877 when he was unable to obtainsupply and resigned, replaced byHenry Parkes.[1] 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.[2]
Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed.[3] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a by-election was required forWest Sydney (Sir John Robertson),East Sydney (John Davies),Orange (Edward Combes) andCentral Cumberland (John Lackey andWilliam Long). Each minister was comfortably re-elected. OnlyThomas Garrett (Camden) andEzekiel Baker (Goldfields South) were re-elected unopposed.[4]
Garrett had a disagreement with Robertson on the question of the Land Bill and resigned in October,[5] however the resignation was not accepted until 19 November 1877.[6] Garrett was succeeded by Baker, withArchibald Jacob replacing Baker asSecretary for Mines.[7] A by-election was required forThe Lower Hunter, but Jacob was comfortably re-elected.[8]
This ministry covers the period from 17 August 1877 until 17 December 1877, when Robertson did not achieve a majority at theDecember 1877 election.[7][9] Parkes did not obtain a majority either and the subsequent government was formed byJames Farnell as a compromise Premier.
| 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 DalleyMLC | |||
| Postmaster-General | John Davies | |||
| Vice-President of the Executive Council Representative of the Government in Legislative Council | Joseph DockerMLC |
Ministers were members of theLegislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.
| Preceded by | Fourth Robertson ministry 1877 | Succeeded by |
