Head of government John Robertson Member party unaligned | No. of ministers 5 | |
Date formed 8 March 1860 (1860-03-08) Date dissolved 9 January 1861 (1861-01-09) Head of state Queen Victoria (represented by William Denison) | ||
The first Robertson ministry was the sixth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by 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 Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856.
The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.
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 9 March 1860 until 9 January 1861, when Robertson resigned his commission.