# Minister for Lands and Property

The Minister for Lands and Property, also called the Secretary for Lands was responsible for one of the key issues for the colonial administration of New South Wales, being the contest between squatters and selectors to dispossess the Aboriginal people of their land.

## Role and responsibilities

The land issue dominated the politics of the late 1850s, and in October 1859, towards the end of the second Cowper ministry, the Secretary for Public Works was split off from the Secretary for Lands and Works. This enabled John Robertson to concentrate on what became known as the Robertson Land Acts. The Cowper ministry fell at the end of October 1859, replaced by the short lived Forster ministry. Robertson formed his first ministry in March 1860. While the four previous Premiers held the office of Colonial Secretary, Robertson chose to be Secretary for Lands.
The main work of the department at this time was processing the selection claims, including the various commissioners for Crown Lands and the necessary survey work under the Surveyor General. The minister had numerous other responsibilities, including immigration until 1869, mining until 1874 and forestry until 1908.
In the Holman Nationalist ministry from November 1916 William Ashford held the portfolios of Secretary for Lands and Minister for Forests and it became increasingly common for the minister to hold the portfolio along with other portfolios. In 1981 the Department of lands was temporarily amalgamated with the Department of Local Government, with the minister Lin Gordon holding both portfolios, until the departments were separated again in February 1984. The portfolio of Minister for Lands was abolished in April 1984 and replaced by the Minister for Natural Resources whose responsibilities included waterways, reserves and parks, forestry. The portfolio was briefly re-established in 1986, 1990 and 2004.

## List of ministers
### Lands

| Ministerial title | Minister | Party | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Secretary for Lands and Works | George Nichols | No party | 6 June 1856 | 25 August 1856 | 80 days |
| Secretary for Lands and Works | Terence Murray | No party | 25 August 1856 | 2 October 1856 | 38 days |
| Secretary for Lands and Works | John Hay | No party | 3 October 1856 | 7 September 1857 | 339 days |
| Secretary for Lands and Works | Terence Murray | No party | 7 September 1857 | 12 January 1858 | 127 days |
| Secretary for Lands and Works | John Robertson | No party | 13 January 1858 | 30 September 1859 | 1 year, 286 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | No party | 1 October 1859 | 26 October 1859 | 1 year, 286 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Black | No party | 27 October 1859 | 8 March 1860 | 133 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | No party | 9 March 1860 | 15 October 1863 | 3 years, 220 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Bowie Wilson | No party | 16 October 1863 | 2 February 1865 | 1 year, 109 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | No party | 3 February 1865 | 19 October 1865 | 258 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Arnold | No party | 20 October 1865 | 30 October 1865 | 10 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | No party | 1 January 1866 | 21 January 1866 | 20 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Bowie Wilson | No party | 22 January 1866 | 26 October 1868 | 2 years, 278 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Forster | No party | 27 October 1868 | 14 April 1870 | 1 year, 169 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | No party | 13 August 1870 | 15 December 1870 | 124 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Bowie Wilson | No party | 16 December 1870 | 13 May 1872 | 1 year, 149 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Farnell | No party | 14 May 1872 | 8 February 1875 | 2 years, 270 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Thomas Garrett | No party | 9 February 1875 | 5 February 1877 | 1 year, 362 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Ezekiel Baker | No party | 6 February 1877 | 21 March 1877 | 43 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Richard Driver | No party | 22 March 1877 | 16 August 1877 | 147 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Thomas Garrett | No party | 17 August 1877 | 19 November 1877 | 94 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Ezekiel Baker | No party | 20 November 1877 | 17 December 1877 | 27 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Farnell | No party | 18 December 1877 | 20 December 1878 | 1 year, 2 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Hoskins | No party | 21 December 1878 | 28 December 1881 | 3 years, 7 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Sir John Robertson | No party | 29 December 1881 | 4 January 1883 | 1 year, 6 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Farnell | No party | 5 January 1883 | 6 October 1885 | 2 years, 274 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Joseph Abbott | No party | 7 October 1885 | 21 December 1885 | 75 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Gerald Spring | No party | 22 December 1885 | 25 February 1886 | 65 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Henry Copeland | No party | 26 February 1886 | 19 January 1887 | 327 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Thomas Garrett | Free Trade | 20 January 1887 | 19 January 1888 | 364 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Sir Henry Parkes | Free Trade | 26 July 1888 | 23 August 1888 | 28 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Brunker | Free Trade | 29 August 1888 | 16 January 1889 | 140 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Lyne | Protectionist | 17 January 1889 | 7 March 1889 | 49 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Brunker | Free Trade | 8 March 1889 | 22 October 1891 | 2 years, 228 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Henry Copeland | Protectionist | 23 October 1891 | 2 August 1894 | 2 years, 283 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Joseph Carruthers | Free Trade | 3 August 1894 | 3 July 1899 | 4 years, 334 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Young | Free Trade | 3 July 1899 | 13 September 1899 | 72 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Thomas Hassall | Protectionist | 14 September 1899 | 9 April 1901 | 1 year, 207 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Paddy Crick | Progressive | 11 April 1901 | 14 June 1904 | 3 years, 64 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Edward O'Sullivan | Progressive | 15 June 1904 | 29 August 1904 | 75 days |
| Secretary for Lands | James Ashton | Liberal Reform | 29 August 1904 | 1 October 1907 | 3 years, 33 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Samuel Moore | Liberal Reform | 2 October 1907 | 20 October 1910 | 3 years, 18 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Niels Nielsen | Labor | 21 October 1910 | 1 August 1911 | 284 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Frederick Flowers | Labor | 4 August 1911 | 26 November 1911 | 114 days |
| Secretary for Lands | George Beeby | Labor | 11 September 1911 | 9 December 1912 | 1 year, 89 days |
| Secretary for Lands | John Treflé | Labor | 10 December 1912 | 11 January 1915 | 2 years, 32 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Ashford | Labor | 12 January 1915 | 15 November 1916 | 1 year, 308 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Ashford | Nationalist | 15 November 1916 | 12 April 1920 | 3 years, 149 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Peter Loughlin | Labor | 12 April 1920 | 20 December 1921 | 1 year, 252 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Walter Wearne | Nationalist | 20 December 1921 | 20 December 1921 | 7 hours |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Peter Loughlin | Labor | 20 December 1921 | 13 April 1922 | 114 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Walter Wearne | Nationalist | 13 April 1922 | 17 June 1925 | 3 years, 65 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Peter Loughlin | Labor | 17 June 1925 | 19 November 1926 | 1 year, 155 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Jack Lang | Labor | 25 November 1926 | 26 May 1927 | 182 days |
| Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests | Ted Horsington | Labor | 27 May 1927 | 18 October 1927 | 144 days |
| Minister for Lands | Richard Ball | Nationalist | 18 October 1927 | 3 November 1930 | 3 years, 16 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Jack Tully | Labor | 4 November 1930 | 15 October 1931 | 345 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Jack Tully | Labor (NSW) | 15 October 1931 | 13 May 1932 | 211 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Ernest Buttenshaw | Country | 16 May 1932 | 31 January 1938 | 5 years, 260 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Colin Sinclair | Country | 1 February 1938 | 6 November 1940 | 2 years, 279 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Alfred Yeo | Country | 6 November 1940 | 16 May 1941 | 191 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Jack Tully | Labor | 16 May 1941 | 9 May 1946 | 4 years, 358 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Bill Dunn | Labor | 9 May 1946 | 19 May 1947 | 1 year, 10 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Bill Sheahan | Labor | 19 May 1947 | 30 June 1950 | 3 years, 42 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Jack Renshaw | Labor | 30 June 1950 | 2 April 1952 | 1 year, 277 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Frank Hawkins | Labor | 3 April 1952 | 15 March 1956 | 3 years, 347 days |
| Secretary for Lands | Roger Nott | Labor | 15 March 1956 | 22 November 1957 | 1 year, 252 days |
| Secretary for Lands | William Gollan | Labor | 22 November 1957 | 1 April 1959 | 1 year, 130 days |
| Minister for Lands | John McMahon | Labor | 1 April 1959 | 31 May 1960 | 1 year, 60 days |
| Minister for Lands | Jack Renshaw | Labor | 31 May 1960 | 3 March 1961 | 276 days |
| Minister for Lands | Keith Compton | Labor | 3 March 1961 | 13 May 1965 | 4 years, 71 days |
| Minister for Lands | Tom Lewis | Liberal | 13 May 1965 | 3 January 1975 | 9 years, 235 days |
| Minister for Lands Minister for Forests | Milton Morris | Liberal | 3 January 1975 | 30 June 1975 | 178 days |
| Minister for Lands Minister for Forests | John Mason | Liberal | 30 June 1975 | 23 January 1976 | 207 days |
| Minister for Lands Minister for Forests | Col Fisher | Country | 23 January 1976 | 14 May 1976 | 112 days |
| Minister for Lands | Bill Crabtree | Labor | 14 May 1976 | 29 February 1980 | 3 years, 291 days |
| Minister for Lands Minister for Forests Minister for Water Resources | Lin Gordon | Labor | 29 February 1980 | 5 April 1984 | 4 years, 65 days |
| Minister for Lands | Jack Hallam | Labor | 4 July 1986 | 21 March 1988 | 1 year, 261 days |
| Minister for Lands and Forests | Garry West | National | 24 July 1990 | 6 June 1991 | 2 years, 306 days |
| Minister for Conservation and Land Management | Garry West | National | 6 June 1991 | 26 May 1993 | 2 years, 306 days |
| Minister for Land and Water Conservation | George Souris | National | 26 May 1993 | 4 April 1995 | 1 year, 313 days |
| Minister for Land and Water Conservation | Kim Yeadon | Labor | 4 April 1995 | 1 December 1997 | 2 years, 241 days |
| Minister for Land and Water Conservation | Richard Amery | Labor | 1 December 1997 | 21 November 2001 | 3 years, 355 days |
| Minister for Land and Water Conservation | John Aquilina | Labor | 21 November 2001 | 2 April 2003 | 1 year, 132 days |
| Minister Assisting the Minister for Natural Resources (Lands) | Tony Kelly | Labor | 2 April 2003 | 3 May 2004 | 7 years, 360 days |
| Minister for Lands | Tony Kelly | Labor | 3 May 2004 | 28 March 2011 | 7 years, 360 days |
| Minister for Natural Resources, Lands and Water | Kevin Humphries | National | 23 April 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 344 days |
| Minister for Lands and Water | Niall Blair | National | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Minister for Lands and Forestry | Paul Toole | National | 30 January 2017 | 23 March 2019 | 2 years, 52 days |

### Property

| Ministerial title | Minister | Party | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister for Finance, Services and Property | Dominic Perrottet | Liberal | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Minister for Finance, Services and Property | Victor Dominello | Liberal | 30 January 2017 | 23 February 2019 | 2 years, 24 days |
| Minister for Water, Property and Housing | Melinda Pavey | National | 2 April 2019 | 21 December 2021 | 2 years, 263 days |