Holman ministry (1916–20)

State of New South Wales (1915–1938)

The Holman ministry (1916 – 1920) or Second Holman ministry or Holman Nationalist ministry was the 36th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 19th Premier, the Honourable William Holman, MLA.

Holman was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1898, serving until 1920, before being elected to the Australian House of Representatives. Holman had earlier served as Deputy Leader in the ministry of James McGowen, before replacing McGowen as leader of the parliamentary Labor Party and serving as Labor Premier between 1913 and 1916.^[1]

Crossing the floor to vote against a Labor Government motion that opposed conscription for World War I, Holman formed an alliance with the leader of the conservative opposition, Charles Wade. This was part of a larger split in the Labor Party between pro- and anti-conscription views.^[1] Shortly afterward, this alliance became the New South Wales chapter of the Nationalist Party of Australia, with Holman as leader.

In an unusual measure, Holman, as a Labor Premier and Leader, was suspended as a member of the Labor Party for supporting conscription. At the 1917 state election, Holman stood as a candidate for the Nationalist Party, and successfully retained his seat of Cootamundra.^[1]

The ministry covers the period from 15 November 1916 until 12 April 1920^[2][3] when Holman lost his seat as serving Premier and his government was defeated at the 1920 state election by Labor's John Storey.^[1]

Composition of ministry

First arrangement

The composition of the ministry was announced by Premier Holman on 15 November 1916 and covers the period up to 30 October 1918, unless the Minister retains the portfolio for the full term. Ministers are listed in order of seniority.

Portfolio	Minister	Party		Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Premier	Hon. William Holman, MLA^a		Nationalist	15 November 1916	12 April 1920	3 years, 149 days
Colonial Treasurer					30 October 1918	1 year, 349 days
Colonial Secretary Registrar of Records	Hon. George Fuller, MLA^b				12 April 1920	3 years, 149 days
Attorney-General	Hon. David Hall, MLA				23 July 1919	2 years, 250 days
Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests	Hon. William Ashford, MLA				12 April 1920	3 years, 149 days
Secretary for Public Works Minister for Railways	Hon. Richard Ball, MLA
Minister of Justice Solicitor-General	Hon. John Garland, KC MLC				23 July 1919	2 years, 250 days
Minister of Public Instruction	Hon. Augustus James, MLA				12 April 1920	3 years, 149 days
Secretary for Mines	Hon. John Fitzpatrick, MLA
Minister of Agriculture	Hon. W. C. Grahame, MLA^c				14 January 1920	3 years, 60 days
Minister for Labour and Industry	Hon. George Beeby, MLC^d				23 July 1919	2 years, 250 days
Minister of Public Health	Hon. John FitzGerald, MLC				18 July 1919	2 years, 245 days
Minister for Local Government					12 April 1920	3 years, 149 days
Vice-President of the Executive Council Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council					30 July 1919	2 years, 257 days
Minister without portfolio	Hon. David Storey, MLA				18 July 1919	2 years, 245 days

^a Holman stepped aside as Colonial Treasurer, to be Premier, without portfolio, which triggered the reshuffle.

^b Fuller was subsequently knighted, whilst in office (see Third arrangement).

^c Grahame resigned from the ministry, triggering a reshuffle in January 1920 (see Third arrangement).

^d Beeby was absent from State from October 1919 until July 1919, resulting in a subsequent reshuffle where he was not reappointed to the ministry.

Second arrangement

This arrangement covers the period from 30 October 1918 until 23 July 1919, unless the Minister retains the portfolio for the full term. Ministers are listed in order of seniority. Only changes in portfolios are shown below.

Portfolio	Minister	Party		Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Colonial Treasurer	Hon. John Fitzpatrick, MLA^e		Nationalist	30 October 1918	12 April 1920	1 year, 165 days
Minister of Public Health	Hon. David Storey, MLA			18 July 1919	29 January 1920	195 days
Minister without portfolio	Hon. Charles Oakes, CMG, MLA				9 February 1920	206 days

^e Fitzpatrick replaced Holman as Colonial Treasurer.

Third arrangement

This arrangement covers the period from 23 July 1919 until 12 April 1920, when Holman's Nationalist government was defeated at the 1920 election. Only changes in portfolios are shown below.

Portfolio	Minister	Party		Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Attorney-General	Hon. John Garland, KC, MLC		Nationalist	23 July 1919	12 April 1920	264 days
Minister for Justice Solicitor-General	Hon. John FitzGerald, MLC
Minister for Agriculture	Hon. William Ashford, MLA			9 February 1920		63 days
Minister for Labour and Industry	Hon. Augustus James, MLA			23 July 1919		264 days
Minister of Public Health	Hon. Albert Bruntnell, MLA			9 February 1920		63 days
Vice President of the Executive Council	Hon. David Hall, MLA^f			30 July 1919	9 February 1920	194 days
	Hon. Sir George Fuller, KCMG, MLA^b			9 February 1920	27 February 1920	18 days
Minister for Housing^g	Hon. David Hall, MLA^f			23 July 1919	9 February 1920	201 days
	Hon. Charles Oakes, CMG, MLA			9 February 1920	12 April 1920	63 days
Minister without portfolio	Hon. John Crane, MLA
	Hon. Arthur Grimm, MLA

^b Fuller was knighted while in office.

^f Both Hall and Grahame resigned from the ministry, just weeks before the 1920 election, requiring a final reshuffle.

^g A new portfolio of Housing was created in 1919; Hall shifted from Attorney General as inaugural Minister, resigning six months later.

See also

• William Holman - 19th Premier of New South Wales
• First Holman ministry
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1913–1917
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1917–1920

References

1. Nairn, Bede. "Holman, William Arthur (1871 - 1934)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
2. "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 10 January 2012.
3. Wah, Malvyne Jong; Page, Jeffrey E. (November 2007). "New South Wales Parliamentary Record 1824 – 2007" (PDF) VIII. Parliament of New South Wales: 265–266. Retrieved 10 January 2012.