# Secretary for Public Works (New South Wales)

The Secretary for Public Works, later the Minister for Public Works was a long standing ministry in the administration of New South Wales created in 1859 and abolished in 2003.

## Role and responsibilities

The Secretary for Lands and Works was one of the first ministries in the colonial administration of New South Wales and the land issue dominated the politics of the late 1850s. In October 1859, towards the end of the second Cowper ministry, the ministry was split into two ministries, the Secretary for Lands and the Secretary for Public Works, which enabled John Robertson to concentrate on what became known as the Robertson Land Acts, William Forster put forward and alternate explanation, that Cowper had created the position and appointed Flood in an unsuccessful attempt to strengthen his parliamentary position. The department had two main functions:
* The administration of the construction and maintenance of public works, including water supply, sewerage, electricity supply, railways, tramways, roads and electric telegraph; harbours and river navigation, the Civil Engineer (Dry Docks, Cockatoo Island), defence works and the Colonial Architect and
* A Board which oversaw how tenders for public works were administered.
In 1906 the Secretary assumed responsibility for local government.

## List of secretaries and ministers

| Title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Secretary for Public Works | Edward Flood | No party | Forster | 1 October 1859 | 26 October 1859 | 25 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Geoffrey Eagar | No party | Forster | 27 October 1859 | 8 March 1860 | 133 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Arnold | No party | Robertson (1) Cowper (3) | 9 March 1860 | 15 October 1863 | 3 years, 220 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Arthur Holroyd | No party | Martin (1) | 16 October 1863 | 2 February 1865 | 1 year, 109 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Arnold | No party | Cowper (4) | 3 February 1865 | 19 October 1865 | 258 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Thomas Smart | No party | Cowper (4) | 20 October 1865 | 21 January 1866 | 93 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Byrnes | No party | Martin (2) | 22 January 1866 | 26 October 1868 | 2 years, 278 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Sutherland | No party | Robertson (2) Cowper (5) | 27 October 1868 | 15 December 1870 | 2 years, 49 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Byrnes | No party | Martin (3) | 16 December 1870 | 13 May 1872 | 1 year, 149 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Sutherland | No party | Parkes (1) | 14 May 1872 | 8 February 1875 | 2 years, 270 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Lackey | No party | Robertson (3) | 9 February 1875 | 21 March 1877 | 2 years, 40 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Hoskins | No party | Parkes (2) | 22 March 1877 | 16 August 1877 | 147 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Edward Combes | No party | Robertson (4) | 17 August 1877 | 17 December 1877 | 122 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Sutherland | No party | Farnell | 18 December 1877 | 20 December 1878 | 1 year, 2 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Lackey | No party | Parkes (3) | 21 December 1878 | 4 January 1883 | 4 years, 14 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Henry Copeland | No party | Stuart | 5 January 1883 | 28 March 1883 | 82 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Francis Wright | No party | Stuart | 28 May 1883 | 6 October 1885 | 2 years, 131 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Henry Badgery | No party | Dibbs (1) | 7 October 1885 | 31 October 1885 | 24 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Lyne | No party | Dibbs (1) | 2 November 1885 | 21 December 1885 | 49 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Jacob Garrard | No party | Robertson (5) | 22 December 1885 | 25 February 1886 | 65 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Lyne | No party | Jennings | 26 February 1886 | 19 January 1887 | 327 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Sutherland | Free Trade | Parkes (4) | 20 January 1887 | 16 January 1889 | 1 year, 362 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Fletcher | Protectionist | Dibbs (2) | 17 January 1889 | 7 March 1889 | 49 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Bruce Smith | Free Trade | Parkes (5) | 8 March 1889 | 13 August 1891 | 2 years, 158 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Young | Free Trade | Parkes (5) | 14 August 1891 | 22 October 1891 | 69 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Lyne | Protectionist | Dibbs (3) | 23 October 1891 | 2 August 1894 | 2 years, 283 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | James Young | Free Trade | Reid | 3 August 1894 | 3 July 1899 | 4 years, 334 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Charles Lee | Free Trade | Reid | 3 July 1899 | 13 September 1899 | 72 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Edward O'Sullivan | Protectionist | Lyne | 14 September 1899 | 27 March 1901 | 1 year, 194 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Edward O'Sullivan | Progressive | See | 28 March 1901 | 14 June 1904 | 3 years, 78 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Walter Bennett | Progressive | Waddell | 15 June 1904 | 29 August 1904 | 75 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Charles Lee | Liberal Reform | Carruthers Wade | 29 August 1904 | 20 October 1910 | 6 years, 52 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Arthur Griffith | Labor | McGowen Holman (1) | 21 October 1910 | 15 March 1915 | 4 years, 145 days |
| Minister for Public Works | John Cann | Labor | Holman (1) | 15 March 1915 | 15 November 1916 | 1 year, 245 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Richard Ball | Nationalist | Holman (2) | 15 November 1916 | 12 April 1920 | 3 years, 149 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Estell | Labor | Storey Dooley (1) | 12 April 1920 | 20 December 1921 | 1 year, 252 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Sir Thomas Henley | Nationalist | Fuller (1) | 20 December 1921 | 20 December 1921 | 7 hours |
| Secretary for Public Works | John Estell | Labor | Dooley (2) | 20 December 1921 | 13 April 1922 | 114 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Sir Thomas Henley | Nationalist | Fuller (2) | 13 April 1922 | 19 June 1922 | 67 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Richard Ball | Nationalist | Fuller (2) | 28 June 1922 | 17 June 1925 | 2 years, 354 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Martin Flannery | Labor | Lang (1) | 17 June 1925 | 26 May 1927 | 1 year, 343 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Bill Ratcliffe | Labor | Lang (2) | 27 May 1927 | 18 October 1927 | 144 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Ernest Buttenshaw | Country | Bavin | 18 October 1927 | 3 November 1930 | 3 years, 16 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Mat Davidson | Labor | Lang (3) | 4 November 1930 | 15 October 1931 | 345 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Mat Davidson | Labor (NSW) | Lang (3) | 15 October 1931 | 13 May 1932 | 211 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Reginald Weaver | United Australia | Stevens (1) | 16 May 1932 | 10 February 1935 | 2 years, 270 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Bertram Stevens | United Australia | Stevens (2) | 10 February 1935 | 21 August 1935 | 192 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Eric Spooner | United Australia | Stevens (2) (3) | 22 August 1935 | 21 July 1939 | 3 years, 333 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Bertram Stevens | United Australia | Mair | 21 July 1939 | 5 August 1939 | 15 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Alexander Mair | United Australia | Mair | 5 August 1939 | 16 August 1939 | 11 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Lewis Martin | United Australia | Mair | 16 August 1939 | 16 May 1941 | 1 year, 273 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Joseph Cahill | Labor | McKell (1) (2) McGirr (1) (2) (3) | 16 May 1941 | 2 April 1952 | 10 years, 322 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | Jack Renshaw | Labor | Cahill (1) (2) | 3 April 1952 | 15 March 1956 | 3 years, 347 days |
| Secretary for Public Works | John McGrath | Labor | Cahill (3) | 15 March 1956 | 1 April 1959 | 3 years, 17 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Norm Ryan | Labor | Cahill (4) Heffron (1) (2) Renshaw | 1 April 1959 | 13 May 1965 | 6 years, 42 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Davis Hughes | Country | Askin (1) (2) (3) (4) | 13 May 1965 | 17 January 1973 | 7 years, 249 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Leon Punch | Country | Askin (5) (6) Lewis (1) (2) | 17 January 1973 | 14 May 1976 | 3 years, 118 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Jack Ferguson | Labor | Wran (1) (2) (3) (4) | 14 May 1976 | 10 February 1984 | 7 years, 272 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Laurie Brereton | Labor | Wran (5) (6) (7) | 10 February 1984 | 6 February 1986 | 1 year, 361 days |
| Minister for Public Works and Ports | Laurie Brereton | Labor | Wran (8) Unsworth | 6 February 1986 | 26 November 1987 | 1 year, 293 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Peter Cox | Labor | Unsworth | 26 November 1987 | 21 March 1988 | 116 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Wal Murray | National | Greiner (1) (2) Fahey (1) (2) | 21 March 1988 | 26 May 1993 | 5 years, 66 days |
| Minister for Public Works | Ian Armstrong | National | Fahey (3) | 26 May 1993 | 4 April 1995 | 1 year, 313 days |
| Minister for Public Works and Services | Michael Knight | Labor | Carr (1) | 4 April 1995 | 15 December 1995 | 255 days |
| Minister for Public Works and Services | Carl Scully | Labor | Carr (1) | 15 December 1995 | 1 December 1997 | 1 year, 351 days |
| Minister for Public Works and Services | Ron Dyer | Labor | Carr (2) | 1 December 1997 | 8 April 1999 | 1 year, 128 days |
| Minister for Public Works and Services | Morris Iemma | Labor | Carr (3) | 8 April 1999 | 2 April 2003 | 3 years, 359 days |