William Lyne
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The Honourable Sir William John Lyne KCMG |
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| 13th Premier of New South Wales | |
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In office 14 September 1899 – 27 March 1901 |
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| Preceded by | George Reid |
| Succeeded by | John See |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Hume |
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In office 29 March 1901 – 31 May 1913 |
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| Preceded by | New division |
| Succeeded by | Robert Patten |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 April 1844 Apslawn, Colony of Tasmania |
| Died | 3 August 1913 (aged 69) Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | British subject |
| Political party |
Protectionist (1901–09) Independent (1909–13) |
| Occupation | Clerk, landowner |
Sir William John Lyne KCMG (6 April 1844 – 3 August 1913), Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales and a member of the first federal ministry. As premier, Lyne presided over the passage of progressive legislation for miners' accident relief, shearers' accommodation, and aged pensions, together with the introduction of the early closing of shops.
Lyne was born at Apslawn, Tasmania. He was the eldest son of John Lyne, a property owner, who would be a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1880 to 1893. He was educated at Horton College, Ross, and subsequently by a private tutor. He left Tasmania at 20 to take up land in northern Queensland, but finding the climate did not suit him, he returned to Tasmania a year later. He became a clerk at Glamorgan Council. After 10 years, Lyne left for the mainland again in 1875 and took up land at Cumberoona near Albury, New South Wales.
Lyne was the member for Hume in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1880. A Protectionist, he was Secretary for Public Works in 1885 and from 1886 to 1887 and Secretary for Lands in 1889. From 1891 to 1894, he became Secretary for Public Works again in the third ministry of George Dibbs. Lyne was a strong protectionist and fought hard for a high tariff. He also strongly supported railway expansion and pressed on with the building of the Culcairn to Corowa line in his own electorate.
The Free Trade Party was still very strong in New South Wales, and George Reid won the 1895 election and Lyne became Leader of the Opposition due to Dibbs losing his seat. Reid had entrusted John Cash Neild with a preparation of a report upon old age pensions, and he had promised the leader of the Labor Party that he would give Neild no payment for this without the sanction of Parliament. Finding that the work was much greater than he expected, Neild had asked for and obtained an advance in anticipation of a vote. Lyne, by a clever amendment of a vote of want of confidence, made it practically impossible for the Labor party to support Reid, thus aligning the Labor Party who held the balance of power against Reid. Lyne became Premier by agreeing to reforms proposed by the Labor Party. Lyne promised the Labor Party specific reforms and he passed 85 Acts between July and December 1900, including early closing of retail shops, coal mines regulation and miners' accident relief, old-age pensions and graduated death duties.
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