State Government of New South Wales beginning 4 July 1986 - period in office of Premier Unsworth, Barrie John ending on 25 March 1988
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 19 March 1988 | Barrie John Unsworth | Australian Labor Party | Nicholas Frank Hugo Greiner | Liberal Party |
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Notes
Change of party leader (Wran): Beginning of Unsworth's period in office; 'After completing 10 years as Premier, in June 1986 Wran announced his intention to retire. Unsworth, the Government Leader in the Legislative Council, was chosen by the dominant right wing faction to succeed him. In the two ensuing by-elections, Wran's own seat was lost and Unsworth secured a seat in the Legislative Assembly by merely 50 votes', Hughes, p. 50, (see 'Sources', below); see also Hagan and Clothier, (see reference in paragraph below).
Loss of election (Unsworth): See Jim Hagan and Craig Clothier, '1988' in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 3 (1968-1999), pp. 251-281 at p. 254, (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 Unsworth's political career, see Rodney Cavalier, 'Barrie John Unsworth', in Clune and Turner, vol. 2, pp. 425-441, (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 1985-1999, pp. 298-311, (Sydney: Federation Press, 2002, ISBN 1862874344); 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.