Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Assembly election
Election of 13 January 1858
Government in office and parliamentary support before and after the election
Government in office at election
Government in office after election
Enrolment and voting
New South Wales, Legislative Assembly votes and seats won
Election held on 13 January 1858
Criteria for the inclusion of parties in this table are set out in the Glossary under 'listed party'
| Party Name | First preference vote n | First preference vote share % | Change from previous election % | Seats won n | Uncontested seats held n | Seat share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independents (No disciplined party groupings) | 38,924 | 100.00 | 0.00 | 54 | 17 | 100.00 |
| Votes for other than listed parties | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Totals | 38,924 | 100.00 | 54 | 17 | 100.00 |
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Notes
Election dates: Elections were held over the period from 13 January to 12 February 1858 (nominations were open from 12 January to 1 February 1858).
Premier in office at election: There had been three changes of premier since the 1856 election: Donaldson was replaced by Cowper as premier on 26 August 1856; Parker replaced Cowper on 3 October 1856; Cowper returned as premier on 8 September 1857; for details and references, see the entries for these premiers in the 'Governments' section of this website.
Electoral system and franchise There were 18 single member electoral districts districts, 13 two-member districts, 2 three-member districts, and 1 four-member district (34 electoral districts in total). The community based franchise was derived from 'the representation of interests rather than population' (Clune and Griffith, p. 33, see 'Sources', below). Members were chosen from pastoral districts, counties, towns and Sydney city (the four-member electoral district). For a description of the style of electioneering, see Michael Hogan, 'Voting in Colonial New South Wales', in Michael Hogan, Leslie Muir and Hilary Golder (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in Colonial New South Wales, pp 25-34, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2007, ISBN 9781862876255).
References: For a comprehensive survey of this election and the preceding period, see David Clune, '1858-59', in Michael Hogan, Leslie Muir and Hilary Golder (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in Colonial New South Wales, pp 63-84, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2007, ISBN 9781862876255). For a description and analysis of the style of parliamentary government in this period, see P Loveday and A W Martin, Parliament, Factions and Parties: The First Thirty Years of Responsible Government in New South Wales, 1856-1889, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966). For comprehensive information on the Parliament of New South Wales during this period, see Clune and Griffith, ch. 1, (see 'Sources', below).
Sources
Election details are taken from the extensive information for each Legislative Assembly election provided by Antony Green in 'New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007', displayed on the Parliament of New South Wales website at: https://bit.ly/2smPu96 .
Summary electoral information and electoral maps can be found in Eamonn Clifford, Antony Green and David Clune (editors), The Electoral Atlas of New South Wales 1856-2006, (Bathurst NSW: New South Wales Department of Lands, 2006, ISBN 9780975235423); see also David Clune and Gareth Griffith, Decision and Deliberation: The Parliament of New South Wales 1856-2003, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 186287591X).