Although formal political parties did not exist at the advent of Responsible Government in 1856, there was a strong division between liberals and conservatives. Dominated by the squatting interest, the conservatives wanted Responsible Government to mean little more than the transfer of power from the UK to themselves. Liberals espoused land reform to break up the squatters' estates and wanted a more representative electoral system. Proponents of colonial liberalism quickly became predominant and soon achieved much of their agenda. The 1858 Electoral Act provided for the secret ballot and a more equitable distribution of electorates and enfranchised most of the male population aged 21 and over (women did not receive the vote until 1902). Land reform was achieved in 1861 with the passage of legislation for free selection before survey. By the early 1860s, conservatism had virtually ceased to exist as a political force. Competition for power was between factions grouped around prominent leaders such as Charles Cowper, James Martin, John Robertson, in particular, Henry Parkes. Parkes was Premier five times between 1872 and 1891 for a total period of 11 years, nine months and 14 days, still the longest cumulative term of service for a NSW Premier.
From the late 1880s onwards, political parties did emerge divided over the fiscal question. Both the Free Trade and Protectionist Parties contained radical and conservative wings and accommodated a wide variety of interests and opinions (although Catholics and country people tended largely to vote Protectionist). The first Free Trade leader was Parkes followed by George Reid. George Dibbs became the leader of the Protectionists followed briefly by Edmund Barton and then William Lyne.
With the coming of Federation, the fiscal issue shifted to the Commonwealth Parliament. The Protectionists renamed themselves the Progressive Party and retained office after the 1901 poll with the support of Labor. At the 1904 election the Progressive Party was heavily defeated losing most of its seats. The Labor Party then became the official Opposition. Catholic voters were by now switching to Labor. The Progressive Party died out after the 1907 election. Some of the Progressives joined the two remaining Parties (for example, Thomas Waddell joined the Liberals and Edward William O'Sullivan Labor) but no non-Labor "fusion" such as occurred Federally took place. The Free Traders renamed themselves the Liberal Party. Protestant and temperance groups were prominent in the Party. Joseph Carruthers became its leader in 1902. His political views tended to liberalism rather than conservatism. Carruthers revitalised the Party and its organisation which changed its name to the Liberal and Reform Association. Carruthers won the 1904 election.
The NSW Trades and Labor Council formed the Labor Party (initially known as the Labor Electoral League) in March 1891. The Labor Party elected its first Members to Parliament in that year. This was immediately followed by a period of division and confusion as the new Party formulated its policies and organisation and defined relations with its Parliamentarians. The Party that emerged was basically committed to moderate reformism by Parliamentary means with a programme that stressed industrial, social, land law and constitutional reforms. Until it became the Opposition in 1904, Labor's policy was to support the Party that offered the more generous concessions in terms of implementing its platform. Labor first gained office under James McGowen in 1910. In 1916 the Labor Party split over the conscription issue. The pro-conscription Premier, William Arthur Holman, and most of his Ministers joined with the Liberals to form the Nationalist Party.
Labor went through a further period of turmoil and division in the 1920s and 1930s with conflict between the Parliamentary and extra-Parliamentary sections of the Party and between moderates and radicals. John Thomas Lang, "the Big Fella", became Labor Leader in 1923. He used his immense personal following and an alliance with radical unions to establish a virtual dictatorship over the Party. Premier from 1925 to 1927 and 1930 to 1932, Lang's second term in office was ended by his dismissal by Governor Sir Philip Game. In 1931 NSW Labor split from the Federal Party and for the next five years was known as the Lang Party or State Labor Party. In 1936, the Lang Party was recognised as the NSW Branch of the ALP. However, this unity was short-lived as Lang's opponents formed their own rival group in 1938, the Heffron (after its leader Robert James Heffron) or Industrial Labor Party. Increasingly deserted by his former allies as it became obvious he was unelectable, Lang was finally deposed in 1939 as a result of a unity conference called by the Federal Executive. However, further division ensued as the ALP then came under the control of a Communist-influenced Executive controlled by J. Hughes and W. Evans. In April 1940, Lang and his supporters left to form the breakaway Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist). The Federal Executive again intervened and removed the Hughes-Evans Executive in July 1940. By the time of the 1941 election, Lang had rejoined (he left again to form a breakaway party in 1943 but by this time was no longer a significant force) and the Labor Party was substantially reunited. At the 1941 elections Labor came to power under William John McKell and governed until 1965 (McKell was followed as Premier by James McGirr, Joe Cahill, Bob Heffron and Jack Renshaw). The effects of the great Labor split of the 1950s, which led to the formation of the Democratic Labor Party in NSW in 1956, were mild in comparison to some other States. One contributing factor was memories of the damage caused by the divisions of the Lang era. Labor was in office from 1976 to 1988, under first Neville Wran and from 1986 Barrie Unsworth. The ALP returned to government under Bob Carr in 1995. In May 2005, Carr became the longest continuously serving NSW Premier with a term of ten years, three months and 30 days. He was succeeded by Morris Iemma in August 2005. The Iemma Government was re-elected in 2007.
The Nationalist Party also had its problems in the 1930s. Many of its supporters, increasingly alarmed by the Depression and the Lang Government and disillusioned with the existing political parties, turned to extra-Parliamentary organisations such as the paramilitary New and Old Guards and the All for Australia League. Spurred on by the necessity of defeating Lang, the Nationalists and the All for Australia League merged into the United Australia Party for the 1932 elections. The UAP in coalition with the Country Party governed until 1941, with Bertram Stevens as Premier for most of this period (until 1939 when he was succeeded by Alexander Mair). Widely perceived as a spent force, the UAP disintegrated in the early 1940s. Most of the old UAP and all its Parliamentarians formed the Democratic Party in 1943. There was, however, a significant splinter group, the Liberal Democratic Party. These groups united as the NSW Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1945. The Liberal Party finally won office in 1965 under Bob Askin. In coalition with the Country Party, the Liberals governed until 1976 (Askin was succeeded by Tom Lewis in 1975 who was replaced by Eric Willis in 1976). The Coalition was again in office from 1988 to 1995, under first Nick Greiner and from 1992 John Fahey.
Although moves for a separate country party had a long history dating back to the nineteenth century, it was not until 1919 that such a party came into existence on the initiative of the Farmers' and Settlers' Association and the Graziers' Association. The Party was known as the Progressive Party and won metropolitan as well as rural seats in the 1920 election. However, within two years the new Party split between those prepared to go into coalition with the Nationalists and the "True Blues", led by Michael Bruxner, who were not. This latter group formed the nucleus of what in 1925 became the Country Party. Bruxner was its leader from 1932 to 1958. The Depression also caused problems for the Country Party. Like the Nationalist Party, it was challenged by vigorous extra-parliamentary agitation in the form of new state movements, particularly in the Riverina and Northern NSW. In 1931 these groups and the Country Party merged to form the United Country Party which governed in coalition with the UAP from 1932 to 1941. Following defeat by Labor, the Country Party also went through a period of readjustment. In 1944 it adopted the title Australian Country Party in line with its Federal counterpart. The FSA and GA both disaffiliated from the Party and in 1946 it adopted a new constitution as an entirely separate, mass based party. In 1977 the Country Party became the National Country Party and in 1982 the National Party. In October 2003 the Party changed its name to The Nationals.
From the 1990s onwards a shift towards minor parties and Independents has been apparent. From 1992 to 1995, three "unaligned" Independents ( John Hatton, Peter Macdonald and Clover Moore) held the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly. They agreed to support the Coalition Government on no-confidence motions unless "corruption or gross maladministration" were involved. In return, the Government agreed to implement the Independents' Charter of Reform. The 2007 poll saw the election of six Independent Members in the Legislative Assembly.
The trend away from the major parties has been especially evident in the Legislative Council, assisted by changes to the voting system. From 1934 to 1978 the Council was indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of all Members of Parliament. From the 1978 election onwards it was directly elected using a system of proportional representation. Further changes that made it easier for Independents and minor party candidiates to be elected to the Council were made in 1991. At the 1981 election, Fred Nile representing the Call to Australia Party (now the Christian Democrats) and Elisabeth Kirkby of the Australian Democrats gained representation for their Parties in the Legislative Council for the first time. At the 1988 election both Parties succeeded in electing another MLC. The first Green MLC, Ian Cohen, was elected in 1995. After the 2007 election there were a total of eight cross-bench MLCs (four Greens, two Christian Democrats, two Shooters' Party). No Government has had control of the Legislative Council since 1988.
Updated April 2007 by DC
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