Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, 1958–1961

This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1958 to 1961. At this time the Council was not directly elected, but was chosen by a joint sitting of the New South Wales Parliament.

¹ Labor MLC George Neilly resigned on 16 February 1959. Labor candidate William Peters was elected to replace him on 19 May 1959.² Labor MLC Robert Savage died on 2 July 1959. Labor candidate Harry Cockerill was elected to replace him on 10 September 1959.³ Labor MLC Gertrude Melville died on 21 August 1959. Labor candidate Anne Press was elected to replace her on 22 October 1959.⁴ On 30 September 1959, Liberal MLCs Herbert FitzSimons, Graham Pratten and Leon Snider, together with independent MLC Asher Joel, joined the Country Party, citing its uncompromising opposition to abolition of the Legislative Council.⁵ In December 1959, Labor MLCs Cyril Cahill, Donald Cochrane, Thomas Gleeson, Patrick Grace, Charles Hackett, John Kenny, Anne Press and Gerald Rygate were expelled from the party for voting against the abolition of the Legislative Council. They constituted themselves, at first informally, as the Independent Labor Group.⁶ Labor MLC Robert King died on 27 February 1960. Labor candidate Michael Quinn was elected to replace him on 29 March 1960, whereupon he immediately resigned from the Labor Party to join the Independent Labor Group.⁷ Independent Labor MLC Gerald Rygate died on 8 June 1960. Independent Labor candidate Harry Gardiner was elected to replace him on 15 September 1960.⁸ Labor MLC Robert Mahony died on 8 February 1961. A by-election was not held this term, so the vacancy carried over to the next parliament.