McLarty–Watts ministry
The McLarty–Watts Ministry was the 21st Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Liberal Premier Sir Ross McLarty and his deputy, Country Party leader Arthur Watts. It succeeded the Wise Ministry on 1 April 1947, following the defeat of the Labor government at the 1947 election two weeks earlier. It was significant in that it included in Florence Cardell-Oliver not only the oldest person, at age 70, to receive their first appointment to a ministerial post in Western Australia, but also the first female cabinet minister in Australia.
The ministry was followed by the Hawke Ministry on 23 February 1953 after the Coalition lost government at the state election held on 14 February.
First Ministry
On 1 April 1947, the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir James Mitchell, constituted the Ministry. He designated eight principal executive offices of the Government and appointed the following ministers to their positions, who served until the reconstitution of the Ministry on 7 October 1949. Two honorary members were also appointed.[1]
The list below is ordered by decreasing seniority within the Cabinet, as indicated by the Government Gazette and the Hansard index. Blue entries indicate members of the Liberal Party, whilst green entries indicate members of the National Country Party. The members of the Ministry were:
| Office | Minister |
|---|---|
|
Premier |
Ross McLarty, MM, MLA |
|
Deputy Premier |
Arthur Watts, CMG, MLA |
|
Minister for Native Affairs (until 5 January 1948:) (from 5 January 1948)
|
Robert Ross McDonald, KC, LL.B., MLA |
|
Minister for Lands |
Lindsay Thorn, MLA |
|
Minister for Mines (from 5 January 1948:)
|
Hubert Parker, DSO, VD, MLC |
|
Minister for Works |
Victor Doney, MLA |
|
Chief Secretary (until 5 January 1948) |
Arthur Abbott, MLA |
|
Minister for Transport |
Harrie Seward, MLA |
|
Honorary Minister for Supply and Shipping |
Florence Cardell-Oliver, MLA |
|
Honorary Minister for Agriculture (from 5 January 1948) |
Garnet Barrington Wood, MLC |
First Ministry (reconstituted)
On 7 October 1949, the Governor, Sir James Mitchell, reconstituted the Ministry. He designated eight principal executive offices of the Government and appointed the following ministers to their positions, who served until the Ministry was reformed on 6 April 1950 after the 1950 election. As previously, two honorary ministers were appointed, with David Brand replacing Robert Ross McDonald in the Ministry.[2]
| Office | Minister |
|---|---|
|
Premier |
Ross McLarty, MM, MLA |
|
Deputy Premier |
Arthur Watts, CMG, MLA |
|
Chief Secretary |
Hubert Parker, DSO, VD, MLC |
| Lindsay Thorn, MLA | |
|
Attorney-General |
Arthur Abbott, MLA |
|
Minister for Works |
Victor Doney, MLA |
|
Minister for Supply and Shipping |
Florence Cardell-Oliver, MLA |
|
Minister for Transport |
Harrie Seward, MLA |
|
Honorary Minister for Housing, Forests and Local Government |
David Brand, MLA |
| Garnet Barrington Wood, MLC |
Second Ministry
On 6 April 1950, the Governor, Sir James Mitchell, constituted the Ministry. He designated eight principal executive offices of the Government and appointed the following ministers to their positions, who served until the end of the Ministry.[3] On 24 October 1950, following the assent of the Acts Amendment (Increase in number of Ministers of the Crown) Act 1950 (No.2 of 1950), the Ministry was expanded to 10 members and the two Honorary Ministers were promoted. The listed Ministers served until the end of the Ministry on 23 February 1953.
| Office | Minister |
|---|---|
|
(until 24 October 1950:)
|
Ross McLarty, MM, MLA |
|
Deputy Premier |
Arthur Watts, CMG, MLA |
|
Minister for Works |
David Brand, MLA |
|
Minister for Lands |
Lindsay Thorn, MLA |
|
Attorney-General |
Arthur Abbott, MLA |
|
Chief Secretary |
Victor Doney, MLA |
|
Minister for Health |
Dame Florence Cardell-Oliver, DBE, MLA |
|
Minister for Transport |
Charles Simpson, MLC |
|
Honorary Minister for Agriculture and North-West (until 24 October 1950) |
Garnet Barrington Wood, MLC (until 3 January 1952)[4] |
|
Honorary Minister for Housing and Mines (until 24 October 1950) (from 24 October 1950:)
|
Gerald Wild, MBE, MLA |
| Sir Charles Latham, MLC (from 17 January 1952) |
References
- Hansard Index for 1947–1949, "Legislature of Western Australia"
- "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 7 October 1949. p. 1949:?.
- "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 6 April 1950. p. 1950:845.
- On 3 January 1952, Garnet Barrington Wood died while attending a Cabinet meeting in the Treasury building. However, he formally remained a Minister until 17 January.
