Coat of Arms of the State of New South Wales
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Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1825 |
Jurisdiction | State of New South Wales |
Headquarters | Chief Secretary's Building |
Agency executives |
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The Executive Council of New South Wales (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of New South Wales) is the cabinet of that Australian state, consisting of the Ministers, presided over by the Governor.
The Executive Council was created within the Royal Letters Patent commissioning Sir Ralph Darling as Governor on 19 December 1825, which would act as the governor's executive advisory council alongside the Legislative Council. In the early Crown colony of New South Wales prior to full self-government in 1856, the Executive Council was appointed by the Governor and included military and judicial officials, their role that of the Governor's cabinet, similar to the present except that the Governor took part in cabinet meetings and political decisions, whereas modern Governors do not. The colonial Legislative Council, established in 1824, was subordinate to the Governor and the Council and served more as a sounding-board than a legislative body.
Made up of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and the New South Wales Legislative Council, the cabinet is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Australia. As federal and state responsibilities differ there are a number of different portfolios between the federal and state governments, most prominent being the absence of foreign or defence portfolios in state governments. As required by Section 35CA of the Constitution Act 1902, all prospective Executive Councillors must take the pledge of loyalty or oath of allegiance and oath of office. Once sworn in, the members of the council are entitled to bear the title "The Honourable". Once leaving office however, they must relinquish it unless they have served more than three years on the council or have been specifically approved to bear it for life by the monarch on the advice of the council. All retentions of the title must, however, be approved by Royal proclamation.