George Dibbs
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The Honourable Sir George Dibbs KCMG |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 10th Premier of New South Wales | |
| Constituency |
West Sydney (1874–1877) St Leonards (1882–1885) Murrumbidgee (1885–1894) Tamworth (1894–1895) |
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In office 23 October 1891 – 2 August 1894 |
|
| Preceded by | Alexander Stuart |
| Succeeded by | John Robertson |
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In office 7 October 1885 – 21 December 1885 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Parkes |
| Succeeded by | Henry Parkes |
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In office 17 January 1889 – 7 March 1889 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Parkes |
| Succeeded by | George Reid |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 October 1834 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 5 August 1904 (aged 69) Hunters Hill, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Free Trade Party |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Maria Robey |
Sir George Richard Dibbs KCMG (12 October 1834 – 5 August 1904) was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales on three occasions.
Dibbs was born in Sydney, son of Captain John Dibbs, who disappeared in the same year. He was educated at the Australian College under Dr Lang, obtained a position as a young man in a Sydney wine merchant's business, and afterwards was in partnership as a merchant with a brother. In 1857, he married Anne Maria Robey. He travelled abroad, and established a branch in Valparaiso in 1865, which involved running a Spanish blockade during the Chincha Islands War. In 1867 his business failed and he went bankrupt, but eight years later called his one time creditors together and paid them all in full.
Dibbs entered parliament in 1874 as MLA for West Sydney, as a supporter of business interests and compulsory, secular and free education, which involved withdrawal of the support from denominational schools, provided under the Education Act of 1866. He lost his seat at the 1877 election due to his support for assisted immigration, which gave him a reputation as an "enemy of labour". Subsequently, a seamen's strike broke out against the Australian Steam Navigation Co, because it had begun to employ Chinese sailors on the Australian coast, and he was obliged as a director of the company to defend its policy, further reducing his popularity. He went to jail in 1880 for a year for refusing to pay a slander judgement to a lawyer who had committed adultery with Dibbs' sister-in-law. Nevertheless, this restored his political popularity.
In 1882, he won St Leonards with the support of the unions. In January 1883 he was given the portfolio of Colonial Treasurer in the Stuart ministry, and was committed to continued railway-building although revenue was under pressure due to a suspension of land sales. The Assembly refused to pass an increase in property tax, so he decided to borrow an unprecedented £14m, giving him a subsequent reputation for extravagance. Stuart resigned due to ill-health in October 1885 and Dibbs became Premier. In the October 1885 elections, he was beaten by Henry Parkes in St Leonards, but he won Murrumbidgee. Although his government polled badly overall, he attempted to govern on, but he was forced to resign after less than three months when it became clear that there would be a budget deficit of over £1m.
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