1848 New South Wales colonial election

{{short description|Colonial election for New South Wales, Australia in 1848}}

{{Use Australian English|date=October 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1848 New South Wales colonial election

| country = New South Wales

| flag_image = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 1843 New South Wales colonial election

| previous_year = 1843

| next_election = 1851 New South Wales colonial election

| next_year = 1851

| seats_for_election = 24 seats in the {{nowrap|New South Wales Legislative Council}}

| election_date = 29 July 1848 –
2 August 1848

| map_image = 1848_New_South_Wales_colonial_election.svg

| map_size = 300px

| map_caption = Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without circles indicate the electorate returned one member.

}}

The 1848 New South Wales colonial election was held between 29 July and 2 August 1848. This election was for 24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council and it was conducted in 15 single-member constituencies, two 2-member constituencies and one 5-member constituency, all with a first past the post system. The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 36 members, 24 elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office (Colonial Secretary, Colonial Treasurer, Auditor-General, Attorney General, Commander of the forces and Collector of Customs){{cite book |last1=Flanagan |first1=Roderick |author-link=Roderick Flanagan |title=The History of New South Wales |date=1862 |publisher=Sampson Low, Son & Company |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VSIPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA60 |access-date=23 April 2019}} and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms.{{Gazette NSW |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230125687 |title=Elected members of the Legislative Council |issue=58 |date=11 July 1843 |access-date=27 April 2019 |page=893 |via=Trove}}{{Gazette NSW |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230125936 |title=Proclamation: appointed members of the Legislative Council |issue=62 |date=25 July 1843 |access-date=23 April 2019 |page=952 |via=Trove}}{{cite web |title=Former Members |work=Members of Parliament |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/formermembers/pages/former-members-index.aspx |access-date=2021-10-29}}{{NSW Parliamentary Record |part=3 |access-date=2021-10-29}}

The right to vote was limited to men aged over 21 who owned property worth at least £200 or occupied a house at £20 per year.{{cite web |url=https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2861171/WP47_Darragh.pdf |title=175 years of voting: the 175th anniversary of the first parliamentary election on 1843 |first=Sean |last=Darragh |work= Electoral Regulation Research Network and Democratic Audit of Australia working paper No 47 |date=August 2018}} There was a higher requirement to be a member of the Council, owning property worth £2,000 or income from real estate of £100 per year. If a man fulfilled these requirements in multiple constituencies, then he was allowed to cast a vote in each.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10974245 |title=Australia's first election— 1843 |newspaper=The Argus |date=29 September 1934 |access-date=29 October 2021 |page=6 |via=Trove}} This was known as plural voting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/about/Pages/1856-to-1889-Responsible-Government-and-Colonial-.aspx|title = 1856 to 1889 - Responsible Government and Colonial Development}}

Settlers of the Port Phillip District had wanted representation in the New South Wales Legislative Council for some time, achieving 6 representatives from 1843, "But the colonists were not satisfied with government from and by Sydney".{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Victoria (Australia) |volume= 28 |last1= Coghlan |first1= Timothy Augustine |author1-link= Timothy Augustine Coghlan |last2= Levey |first2= George Collins |author2-link= George Collins Levey | pages = 37–44 }}{{cite book |title=The Seeds of Democracy: Early Elections in Colonial New South Wales |author= M.M.H. Thompson |year= 2006 |page=151 |isbn= 9781862876316 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fA9BC5BgZ9sC&pg=PA151}} The campaign for independence for the district saw Earl Grey elected as the member for City of Melbourne. Earl Grey, the Colonial Secretary in London, had never set foot in the colony and there was no suggestion he met the property requirement for election.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91457873 |title=Contemporary opinions on the late election movements |newspaper=Geelong Advertiser |date=29 July 1848 |access-date=23 May 2019 |page=2 |via=Trove}}
{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226354152 |title=Apology for Earl Grey's election |newspaper=The Port Phillip Patriot and Morning Advertiser |date=31 July 1848 |access-date=26 May 2019 |page=2 |via=Trove}} A different tactic was adopted for the 5 member Port Phillip, with no candidates nominated on 27 July,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91458102 |title=Melbourne |newspaper=Geelong Advertiser |date=27 July 1848 |access-date=26 May 2019 |page=4 |via=Trove}} and a fresh writ was issued on 25 August for an election on 3 October.{{Gazette NSW |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230149500 |title=Writ of election: Port Phillip |issue=91 |date=25 August 1848 |access-date=26 May 2019 |page=1065 |via=Trove}}