No earlier premier of New South Wales had remained in office as long as Cahill did, and none would manage to surpass the length of Cahill's tenure until Sir Robert Askin in the 1970s.

Askin quickly rose through party ranks, eventually becoming Deputy Leader following Walter Howarth's resignation in July 1954.

Morton was then elected unnopposed as leader, with Askin remaining as Deputy Leader.

Askin was then elected unanimously as leader, with Willis eventually becoming Deputy Leader.

He rose to become a long-serving Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1959 to 1975 under Robert Askin.

Willis declined to run for the leadership and Deputy Leader Robert Askin was made Leader.

Citing an " impeccable " and highly-placed source within the illegal gaming empire established by Perc Galea, Hickie alleged that that Askin and his police commissioners, Allan and Hanson, were paid bribes amounting to 100, 000 per year from 1967 until Askin's retirement.

Buses and ferries were the responsibility of the Department of Government Transport until 1972, when the Askin Liberal government combined the agency with the New South Wales Government Railways to form the Public Transport Commission of New South Wales.

At the end of his term, after winning another three elections, Askin was the longest-serving Premier of New South Wales ; his record has since been overtaken by Neville Wran and Bob Carr.

At the age of 15, after a short time in the electrical trade, in 1922 Askin joined the Government Savings Bank of New South Wales as a Clerk.

At the following party meeting, after a deadlocked vote between Askin and Morton, Askin asked his friend Murray Robson to nominate and subsequently he was elected to succeed Treatt.

Soon after, the two main opponents to Morton, the Member for Earlwood, Eric Willis, and Askin, declared that they would only take the Leadership if they were given an absolute majority of 28 votes.

Two weeks after the first Government meeting, the Askin Government abolished the tow-away system for Sydney and Newcastle.

With John Gorton becoming Prime Minister after Holt's death, Askin came into conflict with the Commonwealth Government over Gorton's determination to maintain federal command over taxation and in June 1968 declared that he could veto any form of state taxation.

Askin emigrated to the United States in 1940 and, after the war, went to Hollywood, invariably portraying foreign characters who speak English with a strong accent.

Renshaw resigned from the Labor leadership shortly after a second and more severe defeat, again by Askin, in 1968.

Askin, where he built a mansion named " Louella " after his daughters Louisa and Ella.

The allegations of corruption against Askin were revived in 2008 when Alan Saffron, the son of the late Sydney crime boss Abe Saffron, published a biography of his father in which he alleged that Saffron had paid bribes to major public officials including Askin, former police commissioner Norman Allan, and other leading figures whom he claimed he could not name because they were still alive.

In 1967 Askin abolished the City Council, installed a tribunal of administrators, and controversially redistributed the city's boundaries, leading to much of the former ward of Newtown being reallocated to the neighbouring municipalities of South Sydney and Marrickville, moving a significant portion of the Labor-voting population out of the Sydney City Council electoral area.

When long-serving party leader Vernon Treatt announced his resignation in August 1954, Askin put his name forward to replace him.

Rapidly rising through the party ranks, Askin soon became President of the Liberals ' Manly branch and supported William Wentworth's successful bid for the new seat of Mackellar at the 1949 election.

The Coalition lost five seats, despite a small swing of 0. 16 % and the Coalition gaining the support of prominent media businessman, Frank Packer, who helped project the image of Askin and the Liberal party as a viable alternative government.

In late 1969, Askin, with Bolte, organised an ' emergency ' premiers ' conference, without Gorton, to publicise the disadvantages of the States, a move that was partly responsible for the party deposition of Gorton in 1971.

Askin accused the state government of allowing the transport infrastructure of the state to decline and promised to build the Newcastle freeway without a toll, to construct the Eastern Suburbs Railway and to plan for a second crossing of Sydney Harbour.

Askin, along with his Minister for Local Government, Pat Morton, oversaw the rapid escalation of building development in inner-city Sydney and the central business district, which followed in the wake of his controversial 1967 abolition of Sydney City Council and a redistribution of municipal electoral boundaries that was aimed at reducing the power of the rival Australian Labor Party.

At the vote, he became deadlocked against Pat Morton and Askin asked his former commanding officer Murray Robson to take the leadership instead.

Sir Robert William Askin GCMG, ( 4 April 19079 September 1981 ) was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia.

He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971.

Before being knighted in 1972, however, he was generally known as " Bob Askin ".

Born in Sydney in 1907, Askin was educated at Sydney Technical High School.

After serving as a bank officer and as a Sergeant in the Second World War, Askin joined the Liberal Party and was elected to the seat of Collaroy at the 1950 election.

Robin William Askin was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 4 April 1907 at the Crown Street Women's Hospital, the eldest of three sons of Ellen Laura Halliday ( née Rowe ) and William James Askin, an Adelaide-born sailor and worker for New South Wales Railways.

After primary education at Glebe Public School, Askin was awarded a bursary to study at Sydney Technical High School, where he sat in the same class as the future aviator Charles Kingsford Smith.

In 1940 Askin was appointed manager of the Bank service department, which focused on public relations.

Landing at Balikpapan, Borneo, in July 1945, Askin was promoted to Sergeant under Lieutenant Colonel Murray Robson.

He was replaced by now-Party Whip Askin.

The 1965 campaign against the Labor Government ( lead since April 1964 by Jack Renshaw ), a government widely perceived to be tired and devoid of ideas, was notable for being one of Australia's first " presidential-style " campaigns, with Askin being the major focus of campaigning and a main theme of " With Askin You'll Get Action ".

The Askin Government, the first Liberal / Country Cabinet in New South Wales history, was sworn in by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Eric Woodward, on 13 May at Government House.

One of the privileges of office was the access to a Ministerial car and personal driver, which became particularly important for Askin, who did not drive.

On one occasion when Askin was supposed to drive a new Holden from the factory assembly line during a visit, Askin arranged for his driver, Russ Ferguson, to be hidden on the car floor working the controls while Askin held the wheel.

In mid-1965, the New South Wales Liberal government of Robert Askin was elected.

Armstrong was elected Lord Mayor of Sydney in 1966, but the position was abolished by the Askin government in 1967.