Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 70
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
from the Minutes (of the Legislative Council) Nos. 9-11 of 8, 13
and 20 December 1853 on the new Constitution Bill.
A note with these papers confirms that copies of petitions for and
against the Constitution Bill were given to the Governor General
on 6 January 1854. On the verso of this note it is indicated that
there were 23 petitions in all.
As recorded in the Votes and Proceedings of 22 December 1853
(No.87), the Governor spoke to the Legislative Council on that
date and enthused
I perceive with much satisfaction that the Act has been framed
with an anxious desire to assimilate the Constitution of this
Colony, as far as local circumstances permit, to that of the
Mother Country, which, perfected by the experiences of ages,
and the light of modern political science, as achieved for Her
Majesty's Subjects the most complete system of liberty,
consistent with order and good government, which is enjoyed in
any part of the world.
The Constitution Bill was read for the first time on 9 August 1853.
The Bill raised considerable interest among the citizenry who sent
the Legislative Council many petitions. For example, on 11 August
1853 a petition for certain Citizens of Sydney styling themselves
"Members of the New South Wales Constitution Committee",
praying that the Council would postpone the second reading of the
Bill for such period as would afford sufficient time for all classes of
Colonists to consider the form of Constitution embodied in it was
presented by Mr Darvall. Mr Darvall presented another petition for
postponement of consideration of the Bill on 16 August 1853. On
23 August 1853 Mr Flood presented a petition from certain
inhabitants of Morpeth and the surrounding district objecting to a
nominee upper house, to the creation of hereditary titles, and to
the distribution of the proposed additional seats and requesting
that their objections be taken into consideration in the discussion
of the Bill. The next day Mr Darvall presented a petition from
certain inhabitants of that part of the District of Scone situated in
the County of Brisbane stating their objections to the
establishment of an upper house of nominees, to the Electoral Act
of 1851, and to the proposed pensions to the present holders of
office, and praying that the Council would not pass this Bill. On
31 August Mr Darvall presented a petition from certain inhabitants
of Murrurundi against the passing of the Bill, and praying for the
Council to frame a Constitution based on purely representative
principles. And so on.
That in the opinion of this House the "Bill to confer a Constitution on New
South Wales, and to grant a Civil List to Her Majesty" which has just
passed this House is an embodiment of all the rights for which this House
and preceding Legislative Councils have for years past been contending,
and will, when passed into Law redress all the grievances enumerated in
the Petition to Her Majesty and both Houses of Parliament, adopted by
this House on the 5th December, 1851. ... And as a necessary
consequence it establishes Responsible Government, properly so called,
and places in the hands of Responsible Ministers the appointment to all
offices of trust and emolument within the Colony, thus giving to the
Inhabitants thereof, as nearly as circumstances will admit, the same
rights and privileges which belong to their fellow Subjects in the United
Kingdom.
extract from the Resolutions of the Legislative Council concerning the Act
for conferring a Constitution, LC 53/48
State Records Authority of New South Wales
69
