Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council (New South Wales)

Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Incumbent Duncan Gay since 6 May 2014
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor of New South Wales
Inaugural holder	William Mayne (Representative)
Formation	6 June 1856
Deputy	John Ajaka

The Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, known before 1 July 1966 as Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council, is an office held in New South Wales by the most senior minister in the New South Wales Legislative Council, elected to lead the governing party (or parties) in the council. Though the leader in the Council does not have the power of the office of Premier, there are some parallels between the latter's status in the Legislative Assembly and the former's in the Council. This means that the leader has responsibility for all policy areas, acts as the government's principal spokesperson in the upper house and has priority in gaining recognition from the President of the Council to speak in debate.

Traditionally, but not always, the office has been held with the sinecure office of Vice-President of the Executive Council. The current leader is Duncan Gay (Nationals). The leader is assisted by a Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, currently John Ajaka (Liberal).

List of leaders

Leaders

Representatives of the Government 1856–1966[1]
Leader	Party affiliation	Period
William Mayne	No party	6 June 1856 – 25 August 1856
Alfred Lutwyche		26 August 1856 – 2 October 1856
Edward Deas Thomson		3 October 1856 – 7 September 1857
John Dickson		7 September 1857 – 26 October 1859
Geoffrey Eagar		27 October 1859 – 8 March 1860
John Hargrave		9 March 1860 – 15 October 1863
John Plunkett		16 October 1863 – 2 February 1865
John Hargrave		3 February 1865 – 21 January 1866
Joseph Docker		22 January 1866 – 26 October 1868
Robert Owen		27 October 1868 – 1 August 1870
Joseph Docker		16 December 1870 – 13 May 1872
Saul Samuel		14 May 1872 – 8 February 1875
Joseph Docker		9 February 1875 – 21 March 1877
George Lloyd		22 March 1877 – 16 August 1877
Joseph Docker		17 August 1877 – 17 December 1877
John Marks		18 December 1877 – 20 December 1878
Sir John Robertson		21 December 1878 – 10 November 1881
Frederick Darley		14 November 1881 – 4 January 1883
William Bede Dalley		5 January 1883 – 6 October 1885
James Farnell		7 October 1885 – 9 October 1885
George Thornton		13 November 1885 – 21 December 1885
George Bowen Simpson		22 December 1885 – 25 February 1886
Charles Mackellar		26 February 1886 – 19 January 1887
Julian Salomons	Free Trade	20 January 1887 – 16 January 1889
Edmund Barton	Protectionist	17 January 1889 – 7 March 1889
William Suttor, Jr.	Free Trade	8 March 1889 – 22 October 1891
Sir Julian Salomons	Protectionist	23 October 1891 – 26 January 1893
Henry MacLaurin		5 April 1893 – 2 August 1894
William Suttor, Jr.	Free Trade	3 August 1894 – 15 March 1895
Andrew Garran		19 March 1895 – 18 November 1898
John Hughes		22 November 1898 – 13 September 1899
James Mackay	Protectionist	14 September 1899 – 24 April 1900
Francis Suttor		12 June 1900 – 9 April 1901
	Progressive	28 March 1901 – 23 May 1903
James Mackay		6 June 1903 – 29 August 1904
John Hughes	Liberal Reform	29 August 1904 – 20 October 1910
Fred Flowers	Labor	21 October 1910 – 27 April 1915
John Daniel FitzGerald		27 April 1915 – 15 November 1916
	Nationalist	15 November 1916 – 12 April 1920
Edward Kavanagh	Labor	12 April 1920 – 20 December 1921
Sir Joseph Carruthers	Nationalist	20 December 1921
Edward Kavanagh	Labor	20 December 1921 – 13 April 1922
Sir Joseph Carruthers	Nationalist	13 April 1922 – 17 June 1925
Albert Willis	Labor	17 June 1925 – 18 October 1927
Francis Boyce	Nationalist	18 October 1927 – 3 November 1930
Albert Willis	Labor	4 November 1930 – 2 April 1931
James Concannon		3 April 1931 – 15 October 1931
	Labor (NSW)	15 October 1931 – 13 May 1932
James Ryan	United Australia	16 May 1932 – 17 June 1932
Henry Manning		18 June 1932 – 16 May 1941
Reg Downing	Labor	16 May 1941 – 13 May 1965
Arthur Bridges	Liberal	13 May 1965 – 30 June 1966
Leaders of the Government 1966–present[1]
Arthur Bridges	Liberal	1 July 1966 – 22 May 1968
Sir John Fuller	Country	10 July 1968 – 14 May 1976
Paul Landa	Labor	14 May 1976 – 5 April 1984
Barrie Unsworth		5 April 1984 – 4 July 1986
Jack Hallam		4 July 1986 – 25 March 1988
Ted Pickering	Liberal	25 March 1988 – 22 October 1992
John Hannaford		22 October 1992 – 4 April 1995
Michael Egan	Labor	4 April 1995 – 21 January 2005
John Della Bosca		3 August 2005 – 13 June 2008
Michael Costa (acting)		17 June 2008 – 8 September 2008
John Della Bosca		8 September 2008 – 1 September 2009
Tony Kelly (acting)		1 September 2009 – 22 September 2009
John Hatzistergos		22 September 2009 – 28 March 2011
Michael Gallacher	Liberal	3 April 2011 – 2 May 2014
Duncan Gay	Nationals	6 May 2014 – present

Deputy Leaders

Deputy Leader	Party affiliation	Period
John Fuller	Country	1 July 1966 – 10 July 1968
Frederick Hewitt	Liberal	3 September 1968 – 14 May 1976
Edna Roper	Labor	14 May 1976 – 17 October 1978
Jack Hallam		18 October 1978 – 4 July 1986
Deirdre Grusovin		4 July 1986 – 25 March 1988
Bob Rowland Smith	National	25 March 1988 – 11 June 1991
Robert Webster		12 June 1991 – 4 April 1995
Ron Dyer	Labor	4 April 1995 – 28 February 2003
John Della Bosca		28 February 2003 – 3 August 2005
Michael Costa		1 February 2005 – 5 September 2008
Tony Kelly		7 September 2008 – 28 March 2011
Duncan Gay	Nationals	3 May 2011 – 6 May 2014
John Ajaka	Liberal	6 May 2014 – present

References

1. "Leaders of the Government in the NSW Legislative Council". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

External links

• Parliament of NSW - Legislative Council