Premier of Queensland 21 January 1879 – November 1883
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Formed his first government on 21 January 1879, holding the Treasury himself. His Divisional Boards Act of 1879 was the most comprehensive local-government measure in Australia, giving local governments unparalleled autonomy but forcing rural areas to carry the financial burden of local works. His railway policy meant Queensland built more trunk lines than any other colony. Development pursued by the government and by the Queensland National Bank, in which he was deeply involved, helped attract £12,500,000 of private investment, large government loans and 26,685 immigrants in 1883. He lost the 1883 election after insisting on a land-grant railway from Charleville to the Gulf of Carpentaria and proposing to introduce Indian indentured labour for the sugar plantations; his following was reduced to eighteen and Griffith became premier in November 1883.