The Electoral district of Port Phillip was an electorate of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

before it became the separate colony of

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

on 1 July 1851. At the time, some members of the Council were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. The Town of Melbourne returned one member while the Port Phillip district, which covered the rest of what became Victoria after its separation in 1851, returned five members.

History

Settlers of the

Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

had wanted representation in the New South Wales Legislative Council for some time. In 1843 representatives were elected; "But the colonists were not satisfied with government from and by Sydney". On 1 July 1851, the District was separated from New South Wales under provisions of the ''Australian Colonies Government Act 1850'', and became the Colony of Victoria and the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

was created.

Members

Election results

1843

1844 (1)

Charles Ebden Charles Hotson Ebden (1811 – 28 October 1867) was an Australian pastoralist and politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Victorian Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Early life Ebden ...

and

Alexander Thomson Alexander "Greek" Thomson (9 April 1817 – 22 March 1875) was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was ...

resigned in March 1844.

1844 (2)

Sir Thomas Mitchell Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (15 June 1792 – 5 October 1855), surveyor and explorer of Southeastern Australia, was born at Grangemouth in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New Sou ...

, while an elected member was also the Surveyor General. He was criticised by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sir George Gipps Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights to land were bitterly conte ...

for not supporting the government by absenting himself from the Legislative Council when he did not agree with government measures. Mitchell chose to resign his seat.

1845 (1)

Thomas Walker resigned on 31 July 1845.

1845 (2)

Adolphus Young resigned on 31 July 1845.

1845 (3)

Benjamin Boyd Benjamin Boyd (21 August 180115 October 1851) was a Scottish entrepreneur who became a major shipowner, banker, grazier, politician and slaver, exploiting South Sea Islander labour in the British colony of New South Wales. Boyd became one ...

resigned on 1 August 1845.

1846 (1)

Thomas Boyd resigned in December 1845.

1846 (2)

Edward Curr Edward Curr (1 July 1798 – 16 November 1850) was an Australian settler and politician. Curr was born in Sheffield, England. He travelled to Hobart Town, arriving in February 1820. In 1823 he returned to England. In 1824 he was appointed ma ...

resigned in May 1846.

1847

John Lang was absent for two successive sessions of the Council and his seat was declared vacant in November 1847.

1848 By-election

Edward Brewster Edward Jones Brewster (c.1812 Has 1812 birth year Has 1813 birth year. – 17 March 1898) was a lawyer and politician in colonial Australia, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1812, and educated fo ...

resigned in February 1848.

1848

1849 (1)

James Williamson resigned in January 1849.

1849 (2)

resigned in May 1849.

1849 (3)

James Palmer resigned in May 1849.

1850

Lauchlan Mackinnon Lauchlan Mackinnon (26 February 1817 – 21 March 1888) was a pastoralist, politician and newspaper proprietor in colonial Australia. Mackinnon one of the most enterprising of the pioneer colonists of Victoria (Australia) and one of the proprie ...

and John Foster resigned in May 1850.

References

1847 DIRECTORY FOR THE DISTRICT OF PORT PHILLIP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Phillip district Former electoral districts of New South Wales Legislative Council History of Victoria (Australia) History of New South Wales 1843 establishments in Australia 1851 disestablishments in Australia