Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 92
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
Included are
• Secretary of State Despatch No.36 of 28 May 1858,
topnumbered as M675/B, transmitting copies of correspondence
respecting the contemplated annexation to South Australia of a
portion of territory adjacent to it and asking for the Governor's
observations;
• copy of the proceedings of the Executive Council of
6 September 1858 at which the Despatch and its enclosures
were considered, resulting in the Council advising that the
Despatch and a copy of the Council minute be laid before both
Houses of Parliament;
• Secretary of State Despatch No.32 of 21 October 1859,
topnumbered as M882/B, respecting the delay in a decision
relating to the portion of territory lying between the western
boundary of South Australia and the eastern frontier line of
Western Australia; and
• copy of proceedings of the Executive Council on 27 February
1860 relating to the proposed transfer of territory, where the
Council again decided that the subject should come before the
Legislature with the Governor laying before it the latest
Despatch from the Secretary of State as well as a Message.
The New Parliament
the Council are of opinion, that it will, perhaps, be convenient to follow the precedent established
in the case of Canada, and call the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly combined, the
"Parliament", and the individual members of either, "Members of Parliament", the prefix of
"Honorable" being an intelligible and sufficient distinction between the members of the one or the
other House.
extract from Minutes of the Executive Council of 7 May 1856, CGS 4232, [4/1533, pp.250-51]
The new Parliament of the Colony of New South Wales was a bicameral (two House)
legislature, similar to that of Canada and England, consisting of an Upper House (the
Legislative Council) and a Lower House (the Legislative Assembly). The first Parliament
under responsible government first sat on 22 May 1856 and was formally opened on
23 May. There were two sessions of this Parliament, 22 May 1856-18 March 1857 and
11 August-18 December 1857, before its dissolution on 19 December.
Once the enabling Act, the Imperial Constitution Statute, 1855, and Schedule 1 of that
Act, (the reserved Bill as amended, commonly referred to as the Constitution Act), took
effect in New South Wales on 24 November 1855 steps had to be taken for the
appointment of the new Legislative Council members and the President of the Council;
election of the 54 Legislative Assembly members; setting up of the new Parliament,
including its procedures; and, determining the new departmental arrangements and
responsibilities under responsible government, including the relationship between the
Governor and the new Ministers.
Section 32 of the Constitution Act had provided that the Legislative Council and
Legislative Assembly would be called together for the first time not later than six months
after the Proclamation of the Act by the Governor. The Constitution Act had also provided
for certain provisions of The Electoral Act of 1851 to apply to the election of members to
serve in the Legislative Assembly, with certain provisos, and had specified the
qualifications of the electors and members of the Assembly. This meant that while other
matters had to be resolved before the first sitting of the new Parliament, the electoral
machinery was basically in place.
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State Records Authority of New South Wales
