See ministry

{{Short description|New South Wales government ministry led by John See}}

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

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

{{Infobox government cabinet

| cabinet_name = See ministry

| cabinet_number = 30th

| jurisdiction = the State of New South Wales

| flag =

| flag_border = true

| incumbent =

| image = JohnSee.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| image2 =

| image_size2 = x85px

| caption = Premier Sir John See

| date_formed = {{start date|1901|03|28|df=y}}

| date_dissolved = {{end date|1904|06|14|df=y}}

| government_head = Sir John See

| government_head_title = Premier

| deputy_government_head =

| state_head = Edward VII

| state_head_title = Monarch

| governor = The Earl Beauchamp / {{nowrap|Sir Harry Rawson}}

| members_number = 12

| former_members_number =

| total_number =

| political_party = {{Australian politics/name|Progressive}}

| legislature_status = Minority government

| opposition_cabinet =

| opposition_party = {{Australian politics/name|Liberal reform}}

| opposition_leader = Charles Lee (1901–1902)
Joseph Carruthers (1902–1904)

| election = 1901 New South Wales election

| last_election = 1904 New South Wales election

| legislature_term =

| budget =

| advice_and_consent1 =

| advice_and_consent2 =

| incoming_formation =

| outgoing_formation =

| previous = Lyne ministry

| successor = Waddell ministry

}}

__NOTOC__

The See ministry was the 30th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 14th Premier, Sir John See.{{efn|name=:1|In 1902, See was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George whilst in office.}} The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but was not a formal position in the government until 1920. Instead the Premier was appointed to another portfolio, usually Colonial Secretary.

See was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1880 as member for Grafton, serving in the Dibbs and Lyne ministries, prior to assuming leadership of the Progressive Party.

Under the constitution, ministers in the Legislative Assembly were required to recontest their seats in an election when appointed.{{cite book |first1=Anne |last1=Twomey |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |title=The Constitution of New South Wales |year=2004 |publisher=Federation Press |isbn=9781862875166 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=KayCZfZwafwC&pg=PA442 442] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KayCZfZwafwC&pg=PA442 |access-date=2020-11-24}} Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested and on this occasion there were only three new ministers, Robert Fitzgerald, John Kidd and Thomas Waddell and all were re-elected unopposed.{{cite NSW election |title=1898 to 1901 by-elections |year=1898 |district=ByElections |access-date=2021-07-10}} Fitzgerald was defeated at the 1901 election for Robertson and was not replaced as Minister of Justice with Bernhard Wise KC, the Attorney General, taking on the additional responsibilities. Hugh Pollock, the secretary of the Attorney General's Department, was appointed as a non-political Solicitor General to assist the Attorney General by taking responsibility for committal proceedings.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14396193 |title=State politics: the vacant portfolio |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 July 1901 |access-date=14 July 2021 |page=5 |via=Trove}} Pollock's appointment was controversial because he was a public servant and had never practiced as a barrister.{{cite book |last1=Mason |first1=K |chapter=Ch 1 Aspects of the History of the Solicitor-General in Australia |editor1=Keyzer, P |editor2=Patrick |title=Public Sentinels: A Comparative Study of Australian Solicitors-General |date=2019 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317073338 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUoGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |accessdate=19 January 2019}} Francis Suttor was appointed President of the Legislative Council in 1903 and was replaced in the ministry by Kenneth Mackay.{{NSW Parliamentary Record |part=6 |access-date=4 March 2020}}

This was the first occasion in which ministers were appointed to the Executive Council (or cabinet) without responsibility for a department or portfolio. It was initially 2 ministers James Hayes,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226384426 |title=Appointments to the Executive Council |newspaper=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=301 |date=11 April 1901 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=2981 |via=Trove}} and Walter Bennett,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226382699 |title=Appointment to the Executive Council |newspaper=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=320 |date=16 April 1901 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=3135 |via=Trove}} with John Fegan added in 1903.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220934182 |title=Appointment to the Executive Council |newspaper=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=158 |date=24 March 1903 |access-date=11 July 2021 |page=2419 |via=Trove}} They were not paid in addition to their allowance as a member of parliament,{{efn|Members of the Legislative Assembly had been paid an allowance since 1889.{{cite Legislation AU|NSW|num_act|praan23446|Parliamentary Representatives Allowance Act 1889}}.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hG4amRs0TcgC&pg=PA31 |title=Decision and Deliberation |first1=David |last1=Clune |first2=Gareth |last2=Griffith |name-list-style=amp |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hG4amRs0TcgC&pg=PA31 31-32] |year=2006 |isbn=9781862875913 |access-date=2021-07-11}}}} did not have an "office of profit" and were not required to recontest their seats at a by-election.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article240129581 |title=The state ministry |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=12 April 1901 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=6 |via=Trove}}

The ministry covers the period from 28 March 1901 until 14 June 1904, when failing health and the death of his wife in March 1904 compelled him to retire.{{Dictionary of Australian Biography |first=Sir John (1844–1907) |last=See |shortlink=0-dict-biogSa-Sp.html#see1 |access-date=22 August 2011 }}{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Keith |last=Henry |title=See, Sir John (1845–1907) |id2=see-sir-john-8380 |access-date=2021-07-10}} See was succeeded by his Progressive Party colleague, Thomas Waddell.

File:See ministry.png

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