The Postmaster-General of New South Wales was a position in the government of the colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. This portfolio managed the postal department of the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

and was in charge of all postal and communications services in the colony prior to the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

, from 1835 to 1901. Upon Federation,

Section 51(v) of the Constitution of Australia Section 51(v) of the Constitution of Australia (commonly referred as the post and telegraph power) is a subsection of Section 51 of the Constitution of Australia Legislative powers of the Parliament. that gives the Australian Parliament power to l ...

gave the Commonwealth exclusive power for "postal, telegraphic, telephonic, and other like services".

History

The first Postmaster of New South Wales,

Isaac Nichols Isaac Nichols (29 July 1770 – 18 November 1819) was an English born Australian farmer, shipowner and public servant who was a convict transported to New South Wales on the Third Fleet, on the Admiral Barrington. He was transported for seven y ...

, was appointed by the military junta following the overthrow of

Governor Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

in the

Rum Rebellion The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a ''coup d'état'' in the then-British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, the name derives from ...

. Nichols retained the position when

Governor Macquarie Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

arrived in 1810, holding it until his death in 1819. The post office was re-organised in 1835, with postmaster James Raymond being appointed as Postmaster-General, responsible for the various post offices throughout the colony. Raymond's replacement, Francis Merewether was appointed to the Legislative Council. With the establishment of responsible government in 1856, the position reverted to a civil service office. At first the postmaster-general reported to the Colonial Secretary, then the

Colonial Treasurer Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

. In September 1865 the Governor declared that a member of the Legislative Assembly was capable of holding the office of Postmaster-General, and James Cunneen was appointed, however his appointment as a minister did not give him a seat in cabinet.

List of Postmasters-General

References

{{reflist 1866 establishments in Australia 1901 disestablishments in Australia Defunct government positions of New South Wales