State Government of New South Wales beginning 21 December 1878 - period in office of Premier Parkes, Henry ending on 5 January 1883
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 17 June 1891 | Henry Parkes | Free Trade Party | Henry Parkes | Free Trade Party |
| NSW 1 February 1889 | George Richard Dibbs | Protectionist Party | Henry Parkes | Free Trade Party |
| NSW 4 February 1887 | Henry Parkes | Free Trade Party | Henry Parkes | Free Trade Party |
| NSW 18 November 1880 | Henry Parkes | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | Henry Parkes | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| NSW 8 December 1874 | Henry Parkes | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | John Robertson | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
| NSW 13 February 1872 | James Martin | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | Henry Parkes | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
Previous period in this series for NSW | Next period in this series for NSW
Notes
Defeat in parliament (Farnell): Beginning of Parkes's third period in office; Farnell 'Resigned after defeat in Legislative Assembly', see Clune and Turner, vol. 1 table 3, pp. 228-229 (see 'Sources', below). Parkes was then commissioned to form a government.
Loss of election (Parkes): Parkes 'Defeated in Legislative Assembly. Obtained dissolution and defeated at election', 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 Parkes's political career, see Geoffrey Bolton, 'Henry (later Sir Henry) Parkes', in Clune and Turner, vol. 1, pp. 121-137 (see 'Sources', below), and A W Martin, 'Parkes, Sir Henry (1815-1896)', in Douglas Pike (general editor), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 5, pp. 399-406, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1974, ISBN 522840612).A W Martin, 'Parkes, Sir Henry (1815-1896)', in Douglas Pike (general editor), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 5, pp. 399-406, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1974, ISBN 522840612).
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.