Lewis–Punch ministry

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The Lewis–Punch ministry or Second Lewis ministry was the 69th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 33rd Premier, Tom Lewis, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Leon Punch. It was the first of two occasions when Lewis was Premier and the first of two occasions when Punch served as Deputy Premier.

Background[]

Lewis was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1957 and served continuously until 1978, representing the seat of Wollondilly. When the Askin government came to power in 1965, Lewis was given relatively junior portfolios of Lands and Mines. In 1972, Tourism was added to his ministerial responsibilities when Eric Willis moved to Education. Late in 1974, Askin announced his resignation and Lewis was chosen as leader over Willis and Justice Minister John Maddison.

Punch was elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly in 1959 and served continuously until 1985, representing variously the seats of Upper Hunter (1959-1962) and then Gloucester (1962-1985. Elected Deputy Leader of the Country Party in 1973, Punch was elected as leader of his party following the retirement and resignation of Sir Charles Cutler in December 1975.

Lewis inherited a relatively stable government that had been in power for ten years. However, the Liberal government was engaged in almost daily warfare with the Whitlam Labor federal government, most notably over the Medibank health care scheme, to which New South Wales was the last state to sign.

Tenure of ministry[]

This ministry covers the period from 17 December 1975, when the former Deputy Premier, Sir Charles Cutler resigned as Deputy Premier, Leader of the Country Party and as Member for Orange, until 23 January 1976,[1] when Lewis was deposed as Liberal leader by Sir Eric Willis following a spill motion on 20 January 1976, necessitating a reconfiguration of the ministry as the Willis–Punch ministry.

Composition of ministry[]

The composition of the ministry was announced by Premier Lewis and sworn in on 17 December 1975, and covers the period until 23 January 1976, when Eric Willis was sworn in as Premier, replacing Lewis. Ministers are listed in order of seniority and in all cases, serve the full term of this 37 day ministry.

Portfolio Minister Party Term commence Term end Term of office
Premier
Treasurer 		Tom Lewis   Liberal 17 December 1975 23 January 1976 37 days
Deputy Premier
Minister for Public Works
Minister for Ports 		Leon Punch   Country
Attorney General
Minister of Justice 		John Maddison   Liberal
Minister for Planning and Environment
Vice-president of the Executive Council
Leader of the Government in Legislative Council 		John Fuller, MLC   Country
Minister for Decentralisation and Development
Minister for Tourism 		Tim Bruxner  
Minister for Education Sir Eric Willis   Liberal
Minister for Labour and Industry
Minister for Consumer Affairs
 Frederick Hewitt, MLC  
Minister for Police
Minister for Services 		John Lloyd Waddy  
Minister for Mines
Minister for Energy 		George Freudenstein   Country
Minister for Housing
Minister for Co-operative Societies 		Laurence McGinty   Liberal
Minister for Health Dick Healey  
Minister for Transport
Minister for Highways 		Max Ruddock  
Minister for Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs Stephen Mauger  
Minister for Culture, Sport and Recreation John Barraclough  
Minister for Agriculture
Minister for Water Resources 		Bruce Cowan   Country
Minister for Lands
Minister for Forests 		John Mason   Liberal
Minister for Local Government Col Fisher   Country
Minister for Revenue
Assistant Treasurer 		Peter Coleman   Liberal

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Part 6 Ministries since 1856 (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
Preceded by Lewis–Punch ministry
1975–1976 		Succeeded by
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