Commissioner of Public Works (South Australia)

The Commissioner of Public Works was a member of Cabinet of the Government of South Australia.

Commissioner of Public Works
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	Parliament
Appointer	Governor of South Australia
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	24 October 1856 (1856-10-24)
First holder	Arthur Freeling
Final holder	Kym Mayes
Abolished	1 October 1992 (1992-10-01)

Originally created for the Finniss Ministry on 24 October 1856, there were 63 holders of the public works portfolio. It was known as Commissioner for Public Works for most of its existence, however since the Playford Government in the 1960s, it was known as Minister for Works or Public Works.

The longest holder was Malcolm McIntosh, a member of the Liberal Federation/Liberal and Country League and a minister in the Butler and Playford governments, who held the portfolio on two separate occasions for a total of 23 years and 45 days. The last holder was Kym Mayes, a member of the Labor Party and a minister in Lynn Arnold's government. The title was abolished on 1 October 1992 (1992-10-01) and superseded by portfolio's for Infrastructure and Transport.

List of Commissioner of Public Works of South Australia

Order	Minister	Party		Premier	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Arthur Freeling		No Party	Finniss	Commissioner of Public Works	24 October 1856 (1856-10-24)	20 March 1857 (1857-03-20)	147 days
2	Samuel Davenport					20 March 1857 (1857-03-20)	21 August 1857 (1857-08-21)	154 days
3	Arthur Blyth			Baker		21 August 1857 (1857-08-21)	1 September 1857 (1857-09-01)	11 days
n/a	Samuel Davenport			Torrens		1 September 1857 (1857-09-01)	30 September 1857 (1857-09-30)	29 days
4	Thomas Reynolds			Hanson		30 September 1857 (1857-09-30)	12 June 1858 (1858-06-12)	255 days
n/a	Arthur Blyth					12 June 1858 (1858-06-12)	9 May 1860 (1860-05-09)	1 year, 332 days
5	Alexander Hay			Reynolds		9 May 1860 (1860-05-09)	8 October 1861 (1861-10-08)	1 year, 152 days
6	Philip Santo			Waterhouse		8 October 1861 (1861-10-08)	17 October 1861 (1861-10-17)	9 days
7	John Lindsay					17 October 1861 (1861-10-17)	19 February 1862 (1862-02-19)	125 days
8	William Milne					19 February 1862 (1862-02-19)	4 July 1863 (1863-07-04)	1 year, 135 days
9	William Townsend			Dutton		4 July 1863 (1863-07-04)	15 July 1863 (1863-07-15)	11 days
n/a	Philip Santo			Ayers		15 July 1863 (1863-07-15)	4 August 1864 (1864-08-04)	1 year, 20 days
n/a	William Milne			Blyth		4 August 1864 (1864-08-04)	22 March 1865 (1865-03-22)	230 days
10	Francis Dutton			Dutton		22 March 1865 (1865-03-22)	20 September 1865 (1865-09-20)	182 days
n/a	Philip Santo			Ayers		20 September 1865 (1865-09-20)	23 October 1865 (1865-10-23)	33 days
11	Thomas English			Hart		23 October 1865 (1865-10-23)	28 March 1866 (1866-03-28)	1 year, 192 days
				Boucaut		28 March 1866 (1866-03-28)	3 May 1867 (1867-05-03)
n/a	Philip Santo			Ayers		3 May 1867 (1867-05-03)	24 September 1868 (1868-09-24)	1 year, 144 days
12	William Everard			Hart		24 September 1868 (1868-09-24)	12 October 1868 (1868-10-12)	18 days
n/a	Philip Santo			Ayers		13 October 1868 (1868-10-13)	3 November 1868 (1868-11-03)	21 days
13	John Colton			Strangways		3 November 1868 (1868-11-03)	12 May 1870 (1870-05-12)	1 year, 190 days
14	Friedrich Krichauff					12 May 1870 (1870-05-12)	30 May 1870 (1870-05-30)	18 days
15	John Carr			Hart		30 May 1870 (1870-05-30)	10 November 1871 (1871-11-10)	1 year, 237 days
				Blyth		10 November 1871 (1871-11-10)	22 January 1872 (1872-01-22)
16	James Ramsay			Ayers		22 January 1872 (1872-01-22)	4 March 1872 (1872-03-04)	42 days
17	Wentworth Cavenagh					4 March 1872 (1872-03-04)	22 July 1873 (1873-07-22)	1 year, 140 days
18	Henry Bright			Blyth		22 July 1873 (1873-07-22)	3 June 1875 (1875-06-03)	1 year, 316 days
19	William West-Erskine			Boucaut		3 June 1875 (1875-06-03)	2 February 1876 (1876-02-02)	244 days
20	James Boucaut					2 February 1876 (1876-02-02)	6 June 1876 (1876-06-06)	125 days
21	John Colton			Colton		6 June 1876 (1876-06-06)	26 October 1877 (1877-10-26)	1 year, 142 days
22	George Hawker			Boucaut		26 October 1877 (1877-10-26)	27 September 1878 (1878-09-27)	3 years, 241 days
				Morgan		27 September 1878 (1878-09-27)	24 June 1881 (1881-06-24)
n/a	James Ramsay			Bray		24 June 1881 (1881-06-24)	23 April 1884 (1884-04-23)	2 years, 304 days
23	David Bower					23 April 1884 (1884-04-23)	16 June 1884 (1884-06-16)	54 days
24	Thomas Playford II			Colton		16 June 1884 (1884-06-16)	4 February 1885 (1885-02-04)	233 days
25	Jenkin Coles					4 February 1885 (1885-02-04)	16 June 1885 (1885-06-16)	132 days
26	John Darling			Downer		16 June 1885 (1885-06-16)	14 October 1885 (1885-10-14)	120 days
27	John Spence					14 October 1885 (1885-10-14)	8 June 1886 (1886-06-08)	237 days
28	Luke Furner					8 June 1886 (1886-06-08)	11 June 1887 (1887-06-11)	1 year, 3 days
29	Alfred Catt			Playford II		11 June 1887 (1887-06-11)	27 June 1889 (1889-06-27)	2 years, 16 days
30	James Howe			Cockburn		27 June 1889 (1889-06-27)	2 May 1890 (1890-05-02)	309 days
31	Thomas Burgoyne					2 May 1890 (1890-05-02)	19 August 1890 (1890-08-19)	109 days
32	William Rounsevell			Playford II		19 August 1890 (1890-08-19)	6 January 1892 (1892-01-06)	1 year, 140 days
33	John Jenkins					6 January 1892 (1892-01-06)	21 June 1892 (1892-06-21)	167 days
34	Andrew Handyside			Holder		21 June 1892 (1892-06-21)	15 October 1892 (1892-10-15)	116 days
35	Lawrence Grayson			Downer		15 October 1892 (1892-10-15)	12 May 1893 (1893-05-12)	209 days
No Holder						12 May 1893 (1893-05-12)	16 June 1893 (1893-06-16)	35 days
36	Frederick Holder		Liberalism	Kingston		16 June 1893 (1893-06-16)	17 April 1894 (1894-04-17)	305 days
37	John Jenkins					17 April 1894 (1894-04-17)	1 December 1899 (1899-12-01)	5 years, 228 days
n/a	Andrew Handyside		No Party	Solomon		1 December 1899 (1899-12-01)	8 December 1899 (1899-12-08)	7 days
38	Richard Foster			Holder		8 December 1899 (1899-12-08)	15 May 1901 (1901-05-15)	4 years, 209 days
				Jenkins		15 May 1901 (1901-05-15)	4 July 1904 (1904-07-04)
No Holder						4 July 1904 (1904-07-04)	1 March 1905 (1905-03-01)	240 days
n/a	Richard Foster		No Party	Butler		1 March 1905 (1905-03-01)	26 July 1905 (1905-07-26)	147 days
39	Thomas Price		Labor	Price		26 July 1905 (1905-07-26)	5 June 1909 (1909-06-05)	3 years, 314 days
40	Laurence O'Loughlin		Farmers & Producers Union	Peake		5 June 1909 (1909-06-05)	3 June 1910 (1910-06-03)	363 days
41	John Verran		Labor	Verran		3 June 1910 (1910-06-03)	17 February 1912 (1912-02-17)	1 year, 259 days
42	Richard Butler		Liberal Union	Peake		17 February 1912 (1912-02-17)	19 November 1914 (1914-11-19)	2 years, 275 days
43	George Ritchie					19 November 1914 (1914-11-19)	3 April 1915 (1915-04-03)	135 days
44	Harry Jackson		Labor	Vaughan		3 April 1915 (1915-04-03)	14 July 1917 (1917-07-14)	2 years, 102 days
45	John Bice		Liberal Union	Peake		14 July 1917 (1917-07-14)	15 May 1919 (1919-05-15)	1 year, 305 days
46	George Ritchie					15 May 1919 (1919-05-15)	8 April 1920 (1920-04-08)	329 days
47	William Hague			Barwell		8 April 1920 (1920-04-08)	3 November 1922 (1922-11-03)	2 years, 209 days
48	Thomas Pascoe					3 November 1922 (1922-11-03)	16 October 1923 (1923-10-16)	1 year, 11 days
			Liberal Federation		16 October 1923 (1923-10-16)	14 November 1923 (1923-11-14)
49	George Jenkins				14 November 1923 (1923-11-14)	16 April 1924 (1924-04-16)	154 days
50	Lionel Hill		Labor	Gunn	16 April 1924 (1924-04-16)	28 August 1926 (1926-08-28)	2 years, 134 days
51	John McInnes			Hill	28 August 1926 (1926-08-28)	8 April 1927 (1927-04-08)	223 days
52	Malcolm McIntosh		Liberal Federation	Butler	8 April 1927 (1927-04-08)	17 April 1930 (1930-04-17)	3 years, 9 days
n/a	John McInnes		Labor	Hill	17 April 1930 (1930-04-17)	13 February 1933 (1933-02-13)	3 years, 1 day
				Richards	13 February 1933 (1933-02-13)	18 April 1933 (1933-04-18)	64 days
53	Herbert Hudd		Liberal & Country League	Butler	18 April 1933 (1933-04-18)	8 April 1938 (1938-04-08)	4 years, 355 days
n/a	Malcolm McIntosh			Playford	8 April 1938 (1938-04-08)	14 December 1944 (1944-12-14)	20 years, 36 days
					Minister for Works	14 December 1944 (1944-12-14)		14 May 1958 (1958-05-14)
54	Colin Rowe					14 May 1958 (1958-05-14)	25 June 1958 (1958-06-25)	42 days
55	Glen Pearson					25 June 1958 (1958-06-25)	10 March 1965 (1965-03-10)	6 years, 258 days
56	Cyril Hutchens		Labor	Walsh		10 March 1965 (1965-03-10)	1 June 1967 (1967-06-01)	3 years, 38 days
				Dunstan		1 June 1967 (1967-06-01)	17 April 1968 (1968-04-17)
57	John Coumbe		Liberal & Country League	Hall		17 April 1968 (1968-04-17)	2 March 1970 (1970-03-02)	1 year, 319 days
58	Allan Rodda					2 March 1970 (1970-03-02)	2 June 1970 (1970-06-02)	92 days
59	Des Corcoran		Labor	Dunstan		2 June 1970 (1970-06-02)	15 February 1979 (1979-02-15)	8 years, 286 days
				Corcoran		15 February 1979 (1979-02-15)	15 March 1979 (1979-03-15)
60	John Wright				Minister for Public Works	15 March 1979 (1979-03-15)	18 September 1979 (1979-09-18)	187 days
61	Dean Brown		Liberal	Tonkin		18 September 1979 (1979-09-18)	10 November 1982 (1982-11-10)	3 years, 53 days
n/a	John Wright		Labor	Bannon		10 November 1982 (1982-11-10)	19 February 1984 (1984-02-19)	1 year, 101 days
62	Terry Hemmings					19 February 1984 (1984-02-19)	14 December 1989 (1989-12-14)	5 years, 298 days
63	Kym Mayes					14 December 1989 (1989-12-14)	4 September 1992 (1992-09-04)	2 years, 292 days
				Arnold		4 September 1992 (1992-09-04)	1 October 1992 (1992-10-01)

References

• Former Members of the Parliament of South Australia (Parliament of South Australia)