First Hughes ministry
# First Hughes ministry

* This article is part of a series about Billy Hughes

Member for West Sydney (1901-1917)

Member for Bendigo (1917-1922)

Member for North Sydney (1922-1949)

Member for Bradfield (1949-1952)

Prime Minister of Australia

Term of government (1915-1923)

1916 Conscription plebiscite

Labor Party split of 1916

National Labor Party

Nationalist Party formation

1917 Conscription plebiscite

Egg-throwing incident

Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918

1919 Monopoly nationalisation referendum

Paris Peace Conference

Opposition to racial equality

German reparations

Territory of Papua

Ministries

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Elections

1917

1919

1922 :

vte :

The First Hughes ministry (Labor) was the 11th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 7th Prime Minister, Billy Hughes. The First Hughes ministry succeeded the Third Fisher ministry, which dissolved on 27 October 1915 following Andrew Fisher's retirement from Parliament to become the next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The ministry was replaced by the Second Hughes ministry on 14 November 1916 following the split that took place within Labor over the issue of conscription. This led to Hughes and his supporters leaving the party to form the National Labor Party.

King O'Malley, who died in 1953, was the last surviving member of the First Hughes ministry; O'Malley was also the last surviving member of the Second Fisher ministry.

## Ministry

| Party | Minister | Portfolio |
| - | - | - |
| Labor | (Rt) Hon Billy Hughes KC (1862–1952) MP for West Sydney (1901–1917) | Prime Minister Leader of the Labor Party Attorney-General Minister for Trade and Customs (from 29 September 1916) |
| Labor | Hon William Higgs KC (1862–1951) MP for Capricornia (1910–1922) | Treasurer (to 27 October 1916) |
| Labor | Hon King O'Malley (1858–1953) MP for Darwin (1903–1917) | Minister for Home Affairs |
| Labor | Hon Hugh Mahon (1857–1931) MP for Kalgoorlie (1913–1917) | Minister for External Affairs |
| Labor | Hon Frank Tudor (1866–1922) MP for Yarra (1901–1922) | Minister for Trade and Customs (to 14 September 1916) |
| Labor | Hon George Pearce (1870–1952) Senator for Western Australia (1901–1938) | Deputy Leader of the Labor Party Minister for Defence Leader of the Government in the Senate |
| Labor | Hon Jens Jensen (1865–1936) MP for Bass (1910–1919) | Minister for the Navy |
| Labor | Hon William Webster (1860–1936) MP for Gwydir (1903–1919) | Postmaster-General |
| Labor | Hon Albert Gardiner (1867–1952) Senator for New South Wales (1910–1926) | Vice-President of the Executive Council (to 27 October 1916) |
| Labor | Hon Edward Russell (1878–1925) Senator for Victoria (1907–1925) | Assistant Minister (to 27 October 1916) |
