Head of government Barrie Unsworth No. of ministers 20 | Deputy head of government Ron Mulock | |
Date formed 4 July 1986 (1986-07-04) Date dissolved 21 March 1988 (1988-03-21) Head of state Queen Elizabeth II (represented by Sir James Rowland) | ||
The Unsworth ministry was the 79th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 36th Premier of New South Wales, the Honourable Barrie Unsworth, MP, representing the Australian Labor Party.
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After the surprise announcement in June 1986 that Neville Wran MP would retire as Premier, NSW Labor Leader, and from Parliament with effect from 4 July 1986, Unsworth, then a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, was elected as the leader of the NSW Labor Party and thus became Premier. However, by parliamentary convention, Premiers are members of the Legislative Assembly. In order for Unsworth to move from the Legislative Council to the Legislative Assembly, Brian Bannon, the member for Rockdale, resigned to accept a role as Chairman of the Homebush States Sport Centre Trust, and Unsworth contested the resulting by-election held on 2 August 1986. He narrowly won the seat, with a 17.1% decline in the primary vote and independent preferences giving him a margin of just 54 votes. A by-election for Wran's safe Labor seat of Bass Hill was even worse, with a 22.2 per cent decline in the primary vote delivering a 103–vote victory to the Liberal candidate.
The ministry covers the period from 4 July 1986 when Unsworth was elected by Labor caucus as the NSW Labor Leader until 21 March 1988 when Labor suffered a landslide defeat at the state election by the Liberal–National coalition, led by Nick Greiner and Wal Murray. Unsworth did not contest the 1991 election.
Composition of ministry
Ministers are listed in order of seniority.
First arrangement
The first arrangement covers the period from 4 July 1986 until 5 November 1986, when Jack Hallam took on additional responsibilities.
Second arrangement
The second arrangement covers the period from 5 November 1986 until 26 November 1987, when Laurie Brereton resigned from the ministry, triggering a reshuffle. Only changes in portfolio are shown.
Third arrangement
The third arrangement covers the period from 26 November 1987 until the state election, held on 21 March 1988, when the Unsworth government was defeated. Only changes in portfolios are shown.