John Murtagh Macrossan (1832-1891) was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n politician of the late 19th Century in the
parliament of QueenslandThe Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
.
John Macrossan was born in
DonegalDonegal is a town in County Donegal, in the Province of Ulster, in Ireland. Donegal is not the county town of County Donegal, despite being its namesake. Rather, the county town is Lifford, and Letterkenny is the county's largest town. Donegal town is situated at the mouth of Donegal Bay, on the...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. He moved to the colony of
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
at the age of 21 to work on diggings. Twelve years later he moved to
North QueenslandNorth Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
where he became well known among the miners in 1873 was elected a member of the legislative assembly for the Kennedy electoral district. He championed the causes of regulation of the mining industry and Separatism of
North QueenslandThroughout the years, there have been many calls for the division of the Australian state of Queensland into a New State. Many proposals have been drawn up, regarding the borders, name and the debate over which city will become the capital .-History:...
as a separate colony.
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John Murtagh Macrossan (1832-1891) was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n politician of the late 19th Century in the
parliament of QueenslandThe Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
.
Early and parliamentary life
John Macrossan was born in
DonegalDonegal is a town in County Donegal, in the Province of Ulster, in Ireland. Donegal is not the county town of County Donegal, despite being its namesake. Rather, the county town is Lifford, and Letterkenny is the county's largest town. Donegal town is situated at the mouth of Donegal Bay, on the...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. He moved to the colony of
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
at the age of 21 to work on diggings. Twelve years later he moved to
North QueenslandNorth Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
where he became well known among the miners in 1873 was elected a member of the legislative assembly for the Kennedy electoral district. He championed the causes of regulation of the mining industry and Separatism of
North QueenslandThroughout the years, there have been many calls for the division of the Australian state of Queensland into a New State. Many proposals have been drawn up, regarding the borders, name and the debate over which city will become the capital .-History:...
as a separate colony. From January 1879 he was secretary for public works and for mines in the first and second
McIlwraithSir Thomas McIlwraith KCMG was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893...
Ministries. In January 1890 Macrossan became the Colonial Secretary in the
MoreheadBoyd Dunlop Morehead was premier of Queensland, Australia from November 1888 to June 1890.-Early life:...
government
Mining
In the first McIlwraith Ministry Macrossan successfully introduced the first mining regulations in
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on his third attempt in 1881. In 1889 Macrossan expanded upon this success by introducing new regulations which included provisions for a system of inspections by representatives of the miners.
Self-government of northern Queensland and Australian Federation
After advocating on the issue for many years, in October 1890 Macrossan brought forward a motion to bring about the separation of the north. Then Premier
Samuel GriffithSir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
moved an amendment that it was desirable to have separate legislative authorities in southern, northern and central Queensland, which was carried. However in the 1890s
RegionalismRegionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
became less of a focus as Federalism became closer to attainment. In February 1890 Macrossan attended the conference on federation held at Melbourne with
GriffithSir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
, who was then leader of the opposition, and in 1891 he was one of the Queensland representatives to the first Constitutional Convention. Four weeks after the conference opened he died, on 30 March 1891.