Cahill ministry (1952–53)

The Cahill ministry (1952–1953) or First Cahill ministry was the 55th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 29th Premier, the Honourable Joe Cahill, MLA, of the Australian Labor Party. The ministry was the first of four consecutive occasions when the Government was led by Cahill, as Premier.

Cahill was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1925 and served up until 1932, representing the seats of St George and Arncliffe before being defeated. He was re-elected in 1935, again representing Arncliffe, and then represented Cook's River between 1941 and 1959. Having served continuously as Secretary for Public Works in the first, second, and third ministries of Jim McGirr, when Deputy Premier Jack Baddeley resigned, Cahill was appointed as McGirr's deputy on 21 September 1949. McGirr resigned as Premier several years later, on 2 April 1952, and Cahill was elected as Labor Leader and became Premier.

This ministry covers the period from 2 April 1952 until 23 February 1953^[1][2] when Cahill led Labor to victory at the 1953 state election and the Second Cahill ministry was formed.

Composition of ministry

The composition of the ministry was announced by Premier Cahill following his election as Labor Leader and his appointment as Premier on 2 April 1952, and covers the period up until 23 February 1953. Ministers are listed in order of seniority and in most cases, serve the full term of this ministry.

Portfolio	Minister	Party		Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Premier and Executive Councillor	Hon. Joseph Cahill, MLA		Labor	2 April 1952	23 February 1953	327 days
Premier Colonial Treasurer Minister for Local Government				3 April 1952		326 days
Deputy Premier Minister of Education	Hon. Bob Heffron, MLA
Minister for Housing Minister for Co-operative Societies Assistant Treasurer	Hon. Clive Evatt, KC, LLB, MLA
Attorney–General	Hon. Captain Clarrie Martin, MEc, LLB, AAlS
Minister for Justice Vice-President of the Executive Council Representative of the Government in Legislative Council	Hon. Reg Downing, MLC
Colonial Secretary	Hon. Gus Kelly, MLA
Minister for Health	Hon. Maurice O'Sullivan, MLA
Minister for Secondary Industries Minister for Building Materials	Hon. William Dickson, MLC^1				15 August 1952	135 days
Minister for Agriculture	Hon. Eddie Graham, MLA				23 February 1953	326 days
Minister for Conservation	Hon. George Weir, LLB, MLA^3				3 November 1952	214 days
	Hon. George Enticknap, MLA^2			3 November 1952	23 February 1953	112 days
Minister for Transport	Hon. Bill Sheahan, QC, MLA			3 April 1952		326 days
	Hon. George Weir, LLB, MLA [Acting]^3			3 November 1952	29 December 1952	56 days
Minister for Labour and Industry Minister for Social Welfare	Hon. Frank Finnan, MLA			3 April 1952	23 February 1953	326 days
Secretary for Mines Minister for Immigration	Hon. Joshua Arthur, MLA
Secretary for Lands	Hon. Frank Hawkins, MLA
Secretary for Public Works Assistant Minister for Local Government	Hon. Jack Renshaw, MLA
Minister without portfolio	Hon. George Enticknap, MLA^2				3 November 1952	214 days
Acting Minister for Conservation				28 August 1952	3 November 1952	67 days
Minister without portfolio	Hon. George Weir, LLB, MLA^3			3 November 1952	23 February 1953	112 days
Assistant Minister in the Legislative Council	Hon. Francis Buckley, MLC			19 November 1952		96 days

^1 Dickson resigned from the ministry in August 1952 and was appointed as President of the New South Wales Legislative Council.^[3] The portfolios of Secondary Industries and Building Materials were abolished.

^2 Enticknap, who was without portfolio, acted as Minister for Conservation before being appointed to the role in November 1952.

^3 Weir, who was Minister for Conservation, was appointed as a Minister without Portfolio, acting briefly in the Transport portfolio, before his resignation from Parliament in 1953 and taking up an appointment as a Judge on the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales.^[4]

See also

• Joseph Cahill - 29th Premier of New South Wales
• Second Cahill ministry
• Third Cahill ministry
• Fourth Cahill ministry
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1950–1953
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, 1949–1952
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, 1952–1955

References

1. "Former Members - Chronological List of Ministries 1856 to 2009 (requires download)" (Excel spreadsheet). Project for the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in NSW. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
2. Wah, Malvyne Jong; Page, Jeffrey E. (November 2007). "New South Wales Parliamentary Record 1824 – 2007" (PDF) VIII. Parliament of New South Wales: 276–277. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
3. "Mr William Edward DICKSON (1893 - 1966)". Former Members Index A-Z. Parliament of New South Wales. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
4. "Mr George WEIR (1903 - 1956)". Former Members Index A-Z. Parliament of New South Wales. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2013.