Ministerialists and Oppositionists

Ministerialists and Oppositionists were political groupings in the political systems of several Australian colonies and states, used to describe supporters or opponents of the government of the day. The terminology had earlier been used in the same way in the United Kingdom.^[1]

Prior to federation in 1901 (and for a short period after) a formal political party structure was not fully in place, and the terminology was used in the parliaments of Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.^[2][3]

Outside of parliamentary groupings, the terminology was also used at various elections.^[4]

Western Australia

At the establishment of the Parliament of Western Australia in 1890, Ministerialists were defined as those who supported the government of the day (led by John Forrest), while Oppositionists were opposed to it. Multiple candidates for each grouping could run for a given seat. The Australian Labour Party (ALP) was the only major grouping outside this structure. Additionally, some candidates ran as independents.

At the 1901 election, the Ministerialists (aligned with Forrest) lost to the Oppositionists (led by George Leake). However, the labels stuck to the groupings, and the "Oppositionists" now had power and the ministries. This strange use of nomenclature ceased with the defeat of the Oppositionists by the Ministerialists in 1904. Around this point, the term "Oppositionist" ceased to be used. The Ministerialists were then to retain power until their defeat by the ALP at the 1911 election.

Immediately after this, the Ministerialist grouping became the centre-right Western Australian Liberal Party under the continued guidance of John Forrest.^[5]

Despite the centre-right parties being in opposition at the time, the Ministerialist term was still at times used to describe them in WA politics in the 1920s^[6] and 1940s.^[7] The term had long ceased to have any connection to the holding of ministries.

See also

• Ministerialist members of the Parliament of Victoria

References

1. "Celebrating 250 years of catering". UK Parliament.
2. "Berry, Sir Graham (1822–1904)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Although elected leader of the Opposition, he stood down in 1894 for younger and stronger men, and the Liberal Party which in 1894-99 presided over Victoria's recovery and her part in Federation was led by George Turner.
3. Klaassen, Margaret Jean (2014), An examination of how the military, the conservative press and ministerialist politicians generated support within Queensland for the war in South Africa in 1899 and 1900, Queensland University of Technology, retrieved 7 March 2017
4. "THE FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT ELECTED 28 MARCH 1889". Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive.
5. Note at the end of the speech build up a good patriotic Liberal Party "STATE POLITICS. SPEECH BY SIR JOHN FORREST". Western Mail (Western Australia). Vol. XXVI, no. 1, 341. Western Australia. 9 September 1911. p. 14. Retrieved 7 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "PROSPECTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 28, 349. New South Wales, Australia. 13 November 1928. p. 15. Retrieved 5 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Ministerialists' Vigorous Campaign". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 2225. Western Australia. 15 September 1940. p. 10. Retrieved 7 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.