State Government of Victoria beginning 9 April 1870 - period in office of Premier McCulloch, James ending on 19 June 1871
Period in office of premier (see Glossary entry for 'period in office' and related terms)
Parliamentary support during period
Coalition partner 1
Number of ministers at beginning of period (this may vary during the period)
Assembly elections contested as premier or after which became premier (see Glossary entry for 'after election')
| Election | Premier at election | Premier's party | Premier after election | Premier's party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC 11 May 1877 | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | Graham Berry | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| VIC 14 February 1871 | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| VIC 21 January 1868 | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| VIC 30 December 1865 | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| VIC 5 October 1864 | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | James McCulloch | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
Previous period in this series for VIC | Next period in this series for VIC
Notes
Defeat in parliament (MacPherson): Beginning of McCulloch's third period in office; 'In March 1870 MacPherson lost office after a no-confidence motion by a former supporter, prompted by disagreement about the budget [note omitted]. The government's opponents, McCulloch in particular, wanted spending reduced. MacPherson's conservative supporters abstained, and enough liberals voted against him to end his majority in the Assembly.' Waugh, p.38 (see 'References'. below); Victoria Parliamentary Debates, 1870 Session, vol. 10, 29 March 1870, p.329. MacPherson did not seek a dissolution and resigned on 31 March 1870.
The third McCulloch ministry was commissioned on 9 April 1870 and '... McCulloch formed a moderate ministry which included MacPherson [the previous premier];...' Bartlett (see 'References', below).
Defeat in parliament (McCulloch): The government survived the Assembly elections in February 1871, but 'McCulloch's links with his traditional supporters were weakening, without a solid base to replace them [note omitted]. After the elections of 1871, he lost a vote on his proposal to introduce a broad property tax, defeated by an awkward alliance of protectionists and free-traders.' Waugh, p.36 (see 'References', below). The vote on the property tax was lost 48 to 24 against the government on 13 June 1871; Victoria Parliamentary Debates, 1871 Session, vol. 12, 29 March 1871, p.569. McCulloch tendered his resignation on 14 June 1871.
References: For a study of the Victorian parliament in this period, see, Wright, ch. 5 (in 'Sources', below), and note the 'Prologue' in Geoffrey Serle, The Rush to be Rich: A History of the Colony of Victoria, 1883-1889, pp 1-13 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1971). A study of McCulloch's premiership can be found in John Waugh, ' ''The Inevitable McCulloch" and his Rivals, 1863-1877', in Strangio and Costar (editors), ch. 3 (see 'Sources', below), and for a survey of McCulloch's career, see Geoffrey Bartlett, 'McCulloch, Sir James (1819–1893)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1974), on line here [accessed 15 February 2014].
Sources
Parliament of Victoria, One Hundred Years of Responsible Government 1856-1956, (Melbourne: Government Printer, 1957, Parliamentary Paper No. 40 of 1956-58); Paul Strangio and Brian Costar (editors), The Victorian Premiers 1856-2006, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 9781862876019); Raymond Wright, A People's Counsel: A History of the Parliament of Victoria 1856-1990, (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1992, ISBN 0195533593). In consulting these sources, note the difference between ministries and periods in office.