State Government of New South Wales beginning 18 December 1877 - period in office of Premier Farnell, James Squire ending on 21 December 1878
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW 24 October 1877 | John Robertson | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | James Squire Farnell | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
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Notes
Loss of election (Robertson): Beginning of Farnell's period in office; Robertson 'Obtained dissolution after defeat in Legislative Assembly. Election result uncertain. Resigned following defeat on censure motion when Legislative Assembly met after election', see Clune and Turner, vol. 1 table 3, pp. 228-229 (see 'Sources', below). Farnell was then commissioned to form a government.
Defeat in parliament (Farnell): Farnell 'Resigned after defeat in Legislative Assembly', see Clune and Turner, vol. 1 table 3, pp. 228-229 (see 'Sources', below).
References: For a description and analysis of the style of parliamentary government in this period, see David Clune and Ken Turner, 'Introduction: The Colonial Premiers', pp. 1-12, in Clune and Turner vol. 1 (see, 'Sources', below), and Peter 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 a survey of Farnell's political career, see Frank Bongiorno, 'James Squire Farnell', in Clune and Turner, vol. 1, pp. 139-151 (see 'Sources', below), and V W E Goodin, 'Farnell, James Squire (1825-1888)', in Douglas Pike (general editor), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 4, pp. 154-155, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1972, ISBN 0522840345).
Sources
David Clune and Ken Turner (editors), The Premiers of New South Wales, vol. 1, (1856-1901), (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 186287550); G N Hawker, The Parliament of New South Wales 1856-1965, appendix C, (Ultimo, NSW: Government Printer, 1971); 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.