Colonial Secretary of Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Secretary of Western Australia was one of the most important and powerful public offices in Western Australia
, in the time when Western Australia was a British
colony
. The Colonial Secretary was the representative of the British Colonial Office
in Western Australia, and was usually appointed from Britain. He was responsible for all official correspondence between the colony and the Colonial Office. He was at all times a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
and the Western Australian Executive Council.
After Western Australia gained responsible government
in 1890, the office of Colonial Secretary became a ministerial portfolio. The responsibilities of the office changed substantially, and it was no longer such an important role. Colebatch (2004) described the office of Colonial Secretary in 1917 as
Since Western Australia was no longer a British colony after 1901, the office of Colonial Secretary was misnamed after this date. In 1924, the office was renamed to Chief Secretary.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, in the time when Western Australia was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
. The Colonial Secretary was the representative of the British Colonial Office
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
in Western Australia, and was usually appointed from Britain. He was responsible for all official correspondence between the colony and the Colonial Office. He was at all times a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
and the Western Australian Executive Council.
After Western Australia gained responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in 1890, the office of Colonial Secretary became a ministerial portfolio. The responsibilities of the office changed substantially, and it was no longer such an important role. Colebatch (2004) described the office of Colonial Secretary in 1917 as
- responsible for a large number of departments including Aborigines, Public Health, charities and many of the state trading concerns including the State Shipping Service. The position required a great deal of detailed work and would always attract many Parliamentary Questions, but did not allow the minister much scope for initiative or achievement.
Since Western Australia was no longer a British colony after 1901, the office of Colonial Secretary was misnamed after this date. In 1924, the office was renamed to Chief Secretary.
List of Colonial Secretaries of Western Australia
The following is a list of Colonial Secretaries of Western Australia:Colonial Secretary | Period in office |
---|---|
Peter Broun Peter Broun Peter Nicholas Broun , known for most of his life as Peter Nicholas Brown, was the first Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, and a member of Western Australia's first Legislative Council.-Early life:... |
1828–1846 |
George Fletcher Moore George Fletcher Moore George Fletcher Moore was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one [of] the key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite"... (acting) |
November 1846–1847 |
Richard Madden | May 1847–1849 |
Revett Bland (acting) | January 1849–March 1850 |
Thomas Yule (acting) | March 1850–October 1850 |
Charles Piesse | October 1850–March 1851 |
Thomas Yule (acting) | March–December 1851 |
Thomas Falconer Thomas Falconer Thomas Falconer was an English jurist and explorer.Born in Bath, England on 25 June 1805, Falconer was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1823, and to the bar in 1830... |
From March 1851 but never arrived in colony |
William Sanford | January 1852–July 1855 |
Frederick Barlee Frederick Barlee Sir Frederick Palgrave Barlee KCMG was Colonial Secretary of Western Australia from 1855 to 1875; Lieutenant-Governor of the British Honduras from 1877 to 1882; and Administrator of Trinidad in 1884.... |
July 1855–24 November 1875 (on leave from 24 July 1875) |
Anthony O'Grady Lefroy Anthony O'Grady Lefroy Anthony O'Grady Lefroy CMG , often known as O'Grady Lefroy, was an important government official in Western Australia before the advent of responsible government.... (acting) |
24 July 1875–30 August 1877 |
Roger Goldsworthy Roger Goldsworthy Sir Roger Tuckfield Goldsworthy KCMG was a British colonial administrator.Roger Goldsworthy was born in Marylebone, Middlesex in 1839, and educated at Sandhurst, the younger brother of Major-General Walter Tuckfield Goldsworthy MP... |
30 August 1877–7 September 1880 |
Edric Gifford | 2 November 1880–21 January 1883 |
Malcolm Fraser Malcolm Fraser (surveyor) Sir Malcolm Fraser KCMG was a powerful public servant in colonial Western Australia in the 1870s and 1880s.Malcolm Fraser was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1834. Nothing is known of his early life, except that he must have qualified as a surveyor at some stage, and that he emigrated to New... |
5 January 1883–28 December 1890 |
Matthew Smith Matthew Smith (colonial secretary) Matthew Skinner Smith was acting Colonial Secretary of Western Australia from 1885 to 1887.Smith was born on 30 August 1836. Little is known of his early life. From 1854, he was an officer in the 44th Regiment; he served in the Crimea, China, and India, before retiring as a Captain in 1867... (acting) |
8 December 1885–18 April 1887 |
George Shenton George Shenton Sir George Shenton was a prominent businessman in colonial Western Australia, the first Mayor of Perth, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for over thirty years.-Early and family life:... |
29 December 1890–11 October 1892 |
Stephen Parker Stephen Henry Parker Sir Stephen Henry Parker KCMG was a lawyer and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1906 to 1914.-Early life:... |
11 October 1892–4 December 1894 |
John Forrest John Forrest Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament.... |
4 December 1894–28 April 1898 |
George Randell George Randell George Randell was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1873–1875 and 1880–1890, then when representative self-government was achieved in 1890, won the seat of Moore in the new Legislative Assembly... |
28 April 1898–27 May 1901 |
Frederick Illingworth Frederick Illingworth Frederick Illingworth , Australian politician, was a Member of Parliament in two Australian states, and a government minister in Western Australia... |
27 May–21 November 1901 |
Matthew Moss | 21 November–23 December 1901 |
Frederick Illingworth Frederick Illingworth Frederick Illingworth , Australian politician, was a Member of Parliament in two Australian states, and a government minister in Western Australia... |
23 December 1901–30 June 1902 |
Walter Kingsmill Walter Kingsmill Sir Walter Kingsmill was an Australian politician.Born in Glenelg, South Australia, he was educated at St Peter's College in Adelaide and at the University of Adelaide before becoming a geologist. Moving to Western Australia in 1888, he became a mine manager... |
1 July 1902–10 August 1904 |
George Taylor | 10 August 1904–7 June 1905 |
John Drew | 7 June–5 August 1905 |
Walter Kingsmill Walter Kingsmill Sir Walter Kingsmill was an Australian politician.Born in Glenelg, South Australia, he was educated at St Peter's College in Adelaide and at the University of Adelaide before becoming a geologist. Moving to Western Australia in 1888, he became a mine manager... |
25 August 1905–7 May 1906 |
John Connolly | 7 May 1906–7 October 1911 |
John Drew | 7 October 1911–27 July 1916 |
Hal Colebatch Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch CMG , better known as Sir Hal Colebatch, was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics... |
27 July 1916–17 April 1919 |
Charles Hudson | 17 April–17 May 1919 |
John Scaddan John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :... |
17 May–25 June 1919 |
Frank Broun | 25 June 1919–22 August 1922 |
Richard Sampson | 22 August 1922–16 April 1924 |
Further reading
- Battye, J. S.James BattyeDr. James Sykes Battye was the first chief librarian of the Victoria Public Library in Perth, Western Australia. He was a leading historian, librarian and public figure of the State...
(1912) The Cyclopedia of Western AustraliaCyclopedia of Western AustraliaCyclopedia of Western AustraliaEdited by James Battye - was the pre-eminent written summary of Western Australia's development and context prior to World war one.-Publication details:*Battye, J.S...
Perth : Cyclopedia Co., 1912.
- Entry as: Colonial Secretary's Department : list of gentlemen who have held the position of Colonial Secretary for Western Australia from 1890 to 1911. Vol. 1, p. 502
- Facsimile edition: (1985) The Cyclopedia of Western Australia : an historical and commercial review : descriptive and biographical facts, figures and illustrations : an epitome of progress Carlisle, W.A : Hesperian Press. ISBN 0859050726 (set) ISBN 0859050742 (vol. 2) ISBN 0859050734 (vol. 1)