This book is an authoritative history of the New South Wales Parliament from its establishment in 1856 to 2003. It gives comprehensive accounts of both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council, including analyses of their performance based on contrasting "liberal" and "executive" models of Parliament.

The history of the Parliament is contextualised by the changing political background in which it operated over 150 years. It is enlivened by portraits of colourful Members, such as W.P. "Paddy' Crick, drunken brawler and master of Parliamentary procedure, and accounts of incidents such as George Fuller’s seven-hour Government and the siege by trade unionists in 2003.

On a broader level, the book is a dissertation on the nature of State politics and Parliaments and on the theoretical study of parliamentary institutions.

Table of Contents

Introduction
CHAPTER 1: 1856-1901
CHAPTER 2: 1901-1910
CHAPTER 3: 1910-1932
CHAPTER 4: 1932-1941
CHAPTER 5: 1941-1965
CHAPTER 6: 1965-1976
CHAPTER 7: 1976-1988
CHAPTER 8: 1988-1995
CHAPTER 9: 1995-2003
CHAPTER 10: Conclusion

APPENDIX: NSW Ministries 1856-2003
Select Bibliography
Index

"A masterpiece which warrants a mass audience. I opened with the intention of dipping. I read it all because it was a pleasure and adventure.... This is truly a history of an institution and the two constituent parts. And a story of a space and a human gathering, the driving force of memory, the restraints of ritual and procedure."

-- Rodney Cavalier