Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Assembly election
Election of 6 December 1860
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 6 December 1860
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) | 46,308 | 100.00 | 0.00 | 72 | 19 | 100.00 |
| Votes for other than listed parties | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Totals | 46,308 | 100.00 | 72 | 19 | 100.00 |
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Notes
Election dates: Elections were held over the period from 6 to 24 December 1860 (nominations were open from 5 to 21 December 1860).
Premier in office at election: There had been two changes of premier since the 1859 election: Cowper was replaced as premier by Forster on 27 October 1859; Robertson replaced Forster as premier on 9 March 1860; for details and references, see the entries for these premiers in the 'Governments' section of this website.
Establishment of Queensland and the electoral system: The establishment of Queensland as a self-governing colony from the territory of New South Wales on 1 December 1859 led to the reduction of the membership of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly by 8 members. At the 1860 New South Wales election, the Assembly had 72 members chosen from 52 single member electoral districts, 6 two-member districts, and 2 four-member districts (60 electoral districts in total); for information on the electoral system established by the 1858 Electoral Act which applied to this election, see the notes to the 1859 New South Wales Legislative Assembly election and, for a description of the style of electioneering, see the Glossary entry elections in New South Wales, 1859 to 1887.
Total ballots cast and turnout: As plural voting was permitted, the number of ballots cast at this election (46,274) was greater than the number of voters. Without accurate figures for the number of voters, the turnout rate cannot be calculated.
'Free selection' as an election issue: 'The December 1860 election was one of the most hard fought in the 19th century, with the issue of free selection dominating the contest in both city and country electorates', David Clune and Gareth Griffith, Decision and Deliberation: The Parliament of New South Wales 1856-2003, p. 19, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 186287591X); this publication gives comprehensive information on the Parliament of New South Wales during this period.
References: 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), and 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).