State Government of New South Wales beginning 13 May 1965 - period in office of Premier Askin, Robert [also Robin] William ending on 3 January 1975
Period in office of premier (see Glossary entry for 'period in office' and related terms)
Parliamentary support during period
Coalition partner 1
Coalition
Gain at by-election
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW 17 November 1973 | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party |
| NSW 13 February 1971 | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party |
| NSW 24 February 1968 | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party |
| NSW 1 May 1965 | John Brophy Renshaw | Australian Labor Party | Robert [also Robin] William Askin | Liberal Party |
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Notes
Loss of election (Renshaw): Beginning of Askin's period in office; 'The Labor government was defeated at the general election on 1 May 1965, but determination of the result was slow. On 11 May Renshaw saw the Governor and Askin was commissioned;...', Hughes, p. 23, (see 'Sources', below); see also Chris Puplick, '1965', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 2 (1930-1965), pp. 427-463, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907404).
Change in parliamentary support: After the May 1965 election, the Askin coalition government held 47 of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly and relied on two conservative Independents to maintain a majority. The government won an additional seat from the Labor Party at the Bathurst by-election held on 6 May 1967 and secured majority support for the coalition. This was confirmed at the 1968 election; see Hughes, p. 106, (see 'Sources', below); see also Robert Dempsey, '1968', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 3 (1968-1999), pp. 1-36, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907412).
Premier's change of name: Premier Askin changed his first name from Robin to Robert by deed poll in 1973.
Change of party leader (Askin): Askin retired from his position late in December 1974 and the parliamentary Liberal Party chose Lewis as his successor. Lewis was commissioned as Premier on 3 January 1975; see Scott Bennett, '1976', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 3 (1968-1999), pp. 111-146 at pp. 115-117, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907412).
References: For an analysis of the role of Premier in New South Wales, see David Clune and Ken Turner, 'Introduction: The Changing Role of the Premier in the 20th Century', pp. 1-14, in Clune and Turner vol. 2 (see, 'Sources', below).
For a survey of Askin's political career, see Ian Hancock, 'Robin (later Sir Robert) William Askin', in Clune and Turner, vol. 2, pp. 347-372 (see 'Sources', below).
Sources
David Clune and Ken Turner (editors), The Premiers of New South Wales, vol. 2, (1901-2005), (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 186287551); Colin A Hughes, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1965-1974, pp. 23-28, (Canberra; Australian National University Press, 1977, ISBN 0708113400); New South Wales, Parliament, The New South Wales Parliamentary Record: Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly, 1824-1999, vol. VI, pp. 246-308, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales, 1999). In consulting these sources, note the difference between ministries and periods in office.