The Robertson ministry of Fifth Robertson ministry was the 22nd ministry of the Colony of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, and was led by the Premier

Premiers of New South Wales

The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...

, the Honourable Sir John Robertson

John Robertson (Australian politician)

Sir John Robertson, KCMG was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales on five occasions. Robertson is best remembered for land reform and in particular the Robertson Land Acts of 1861, which sought to open up the selection of Crown land and break the monopoly of the...

 KCMG

Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

. It was the fifth and final occasion that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 held in March 1856. There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. These by-elections are only noted when the minister was defeated; in general, he was elected unopposed.

This ministry covers the period from 22 December 1885 until 25 February 1886, when Robertson's government faultered due to the destablishing influence of his old foe, Sir Henry Parkes

Henry Parkes

Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...

. Robertson was succeeded as Premier by Sir Patrick Jennings, and retired from parliament in June 1886.

Composition of ministry

Portfolio	Minister	Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Premier Colonial Secretary Chief Secretary The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...	Hon. Sir John Robertson MLA	22 December 1885	25 February 1886	days
Colonial Treasurer Treasurer of New South Wales The Treasurer of New South Wales, known from 1856–1959 as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales, is the minister in the Government of New South Wales responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising and is the head of the New South Wales Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in...	Hon. John Burns John Burns John Elliot Burns was an English trade unionist and politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly associated with London politics. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was anti-alcohol and a keen sportsman...  MLA
Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Education (New South Wales) The New South Wales Minister for Education has responsibilities which includes all schools and TAFE colleges in NSW.The current Minister for Education is Adrian Piccoli...	Hon. James Young MLA
Minister of Justice	Hon. Louis Heydon MLA		4 February 1886	days
Attorney-General Representative of the Government in Legislative Council	Hon. George Simpson MLC		25 February 1886	days
Secretary for Lands	Hon. Gerald Spring MLA
Secretary for Public Works	Hon. Jacob Garrard MLA
Postmaster-General	Hon. Daniel O'Connor Daniel O'Connor (politician) The Honourable Daniel O'Connor JP was an Irish-born politician and businessman active in colonial-era New South Wales.-Early life and education:...  MLA
Secretary for Mines	Hon. Robert Vaughn MLA

See also

• John Robertson - fifth Premier of New South Wales
• Self-government in New South Wales
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1874–1877
  Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1874–1877
  This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1874 to 1877. Elections for the eighth Legislative Assembly were held between 8 December 1874 and 12 January 1875 with parliament first meeting on 27 January 1875. There were 72 members elected for 52 single member...
  
  
• First Robertson ministry (1860–1861)
  Robertson ministry (1860–1861)
  The Robertson ministry or First Robertson ministry was the sixth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the Premier, the Honourable John Robertson. It was the first of five occasions that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New South...
  
  
• Second Robertson ministry (1868–1870)
  Robertson ministry (1868–1870)
  The Robertson ministry or Second Robertson ministry was the eleventh ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the Premier, the Honourable John Robertson. It was the second of five occasions that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New...
  
  
• Third Robertson ministry (1875–1877)
• Fourth Robertson ministry (1877)
  Robertson ministry (1877)
  The Robertson ministry or Fourth Robertson ministry was the seventeenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the Premier, the Honourable John Robertson. It was the fourth of five occasions that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the...