Sir Arthur Robinson KCMG (23 April 1872 – 17 May 1945) was an Australian politician, at different times a member of the upper and lower houses of the Victorian parliament and a federal MP.

Early life

Robinson was born at

Carlton, Victoria Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, three kilometres north of the Melbourne central business district within the city of Melbourne local government area. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. ...

, the son of journalist Anthony Bennett Robinson and Harriet, née Barton, the sister of

Sir Edmund Barton ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

. He attended Scotch College (where he was later Chairman of the School Council) before studying law at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. He became a barrister and solicitor in 1896, partnering William Bruce in the firm that was to become Arthur Robinson & Co. (a forerunner of modern firm Allens). Robinson became known as a

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

r and a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

(in contrast to his uncle Edmund Barton), but he was also an ardent

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

. On 18 April 1899 he married Annie Summers Puckle at Malvern.

Australian Natives Association

Arthur Robinson (later Sir) joined Malvern A.N.A. Branch No.90 in 1897 and became president of Malvern Branch in the same year. He was elected to the A.N.A. Board of Directors in 1899. In 1903 he was elected Chief President at A.N.A.’s Daylesford Annual Conference. As Vice President in 1902 he travelled by train to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

to promote the establishment of a University in Western Australia and to promote A.N.A. and the Australasian Women’s Association (A.W.A.) in that state. The visit resulted in a considerable increase of membership, the creation of 5 additional ANA Branches and two AWA Branches. He was said to deliver interesting speeches and to be skilful in debate. Sir Arthur retired from the A.N.A. Board in 1907.

Politics

Robinson was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

in 1900 for the seat of Dundas, but was defeated in 1902. Subsequently, he entered the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

as the

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

member for Wannon in 1903, succeeding Samuel Cooke. He was defeated in 1906 by Labour, which ran a successful campaign focussing on his opposition to aspects relating to unionism in the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Returning to state politics, he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

for Melbourne South Province in 1912 and held his seat until his retirement in 1925, holding ministerial positions in the governments of Sir Alexander Peacock and Sir Harry Lawson, including as

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

(21 March 1918 – 20 January 1920),

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

(21 October 1919 – 10 July 1924) and a concurrent appointment as Solicitor-General (20 September 1920 – 11 July 1924). Robinson was significantly involved in the State Electricity Commission, supporting Sir John Monash in its establishment. His experiences in state parliament also changed his enthusiasm for federalism into opposition to federal powers. He was appointed a CMG in 1921 and a in 1923. Following his retirement in 1925, Robinson attempted to re-enter the federal House of Representatives as the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

candidate for

Fawkner Fawkner is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Hume, Hume and City of Merri-bek, Merri-bek ...

, but was defeated by his friend

George Maxwell George Maxwell (1804–1880) was a professional collector of plants and insects in Southwest Australia. The botanical specimens he obtained were used to make formal descriptions of the region's plant species. Biography Maxwell was born in England ...

, who was elected as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. He was condemned by ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' as a "crusted Tory" and a "relic of a bygone age".

Later life

Robinson's wife Annie died in 1937, and he remarried on 20 February 1939 at Scotch College to Beverley Nelson Wood. He continued to be active in community until his death on 17 May 1945 at

East Melbourne East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ce ...

, survived by his wife, a son and daughter of his first marriage, and a son of his second.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Arthur 1872 births 1945 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wannon Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia Commonwealth Liberal Party politicians Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Vice-presidents of the Board of Land and Works Attorneys-general of Victoria Solicitors-general of Victoria Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Melbourne Law School alumni People from Carlton, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne Australian people of English descent Ministers for public works (Victoria) Australian MPs 1903–1906