William Charles Wentworth
William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872), an explorer, landowner and politician in New South Wales, was the foremost figure in the struggle for responsible government (achieved in 1856). His Australian (1824) marked the beginning of a free press in Australia. A patriot but no democrat, he believed that the welfare of the nation depended on intellect, developed through education, and private property. Courtesy Australian Dictionary of Biography
Events
The Australian — first independent newspaper
The Australian newspaper (no relation to the modern day broadsheet of the same name) begins publication, founded by Dr Robert Wardell and William Wentworth. The colonial press is less restricted than in Britain, and newspapers flourish in the colonies. By 1882 there are 146 newspapers in Victoria, 95 in New South Wales, 47 in South Australia, 27 in Queensland, 11 in Tasmania, and four in Western Australia.
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