Darwin honours Australia’s only Jewish premier

A ceremony in Darwin honouring Australia’s only Jewish state premier, Vaiben Louis Solomon, has highlighted the long but little-known history of Jewish contribution to the Northern Territory as community leaders warn of rising antisemitism nationwide.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion, who attended the Darwin ceremony, said the visit offered “a salutary reminder of the Australia we hope to see restored” amid rising antisemitism nationwide.

The ceremony marked the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Solomon at Brown’s Mart, the historic Darwin building originally constructed by him in 1885 as “Solomon’s Emporium”.

More than 140 years later, Brown’s Mart remains one of the Northern Territory’s best-known heritage buildings and continues to operate as a cultural and performance venue.

Born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Adelaide, Solomon became one of the most influential figures in the Northern Territory’s early development through business, mining, pearling and media.

Solomon owned and edited the Northern Territory Times and Gazette and later entered politics, becoming the Northern Territory’s first parliamentary representative in 1890. He was among the delegates to the Australasian Federal Convention in 1897 that helped draft the Australian Constitution.

In 1901, Solomon was elected to Australia’s first federal parliament as a representative for South Australia. At the time, South Australian federal representatives were responsible for Northern Territory affairs.

He later returned to the South Australian Parliament in 1905, again representing the Northern Territory, where he advocated strongly for the transfer of the Northern Territory to Commonwealth control.

Solomon also briefly served as premier of South Australia for seven days in December 1899, making him the only Jewish person to have held the office of an Australian state premier. His extraordinarily brief time in office earned him the nickname “Sudden Solomon.”

According to a recent historical study by Northern Territory Jewish Community Association president Vida Goodvach, Solomon and his family were “the earliest known Jewish people to settle in the NT”.

The study notes Jewish people have lived in the Northern Territory since the late 1800s despite always remaining small in number. Today, Jewish people make up only around 0.1 per cent of the Territory’s population, with the community estimated at fewer than 200 people.

Reflecting on the contrast between the stories currently emerging at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion and the reception he received in Darwin, Aghion said:

“Amid the heartrending testimony delivered at the Royal Commission over the past few days, lamenting the changes within a country once so welcoming to members of our community, a visit to the Northern Territory served up a salutary reminder of the Australia we hope to see restored.”

The ceremony was organised by Luke Gosling MP, whose electorate covering Darwin and Palmerston is named after Solomon.

“This building has stood through everything Darwin has thrown at it, cyclones, war, rebuilding, and it started with Vaiben Solomon having a go in a very small, very remote town,” Gosling said.

Solomon also played a key role in establishing aspects of Palmerston’s early municipal governance. He built an impressive residence on The Esplanade, which was once one of the grandest homes in the town.

“The Solomon family story is part of the modern Territory story: people coming from all over the world, having a go and building a life here. That’s helped shape the Darwin we know today.”

“Carrying the name Solomon in the Australian Parliament isn’t something I take lightly,” he added.

Among those attending were Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Northern Territory MLA Justine Davis, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill and Simon Lipert, a descendant of the Solomon family.

Descendant Simon Lipert said Solomon’s legacy remained woven through modern Darwin.

“He left behind a legacy that many of us walk past each day,” he said.

Goodvach said Solomon’s story reflected the Territory’s long multicultural history.

“I am proud that the Northern Territory’s first federal representative, Vaiben Louis Solomon, was a Jewish man, an entrepreneur, a pioneer and a colourful figure whose character left a lasting mark on our history,” she stated.

“It speaks to the diversity that has long been part of the Territory’s identity.”

During his visit to the NT, Aghion also toured the Darwin Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre and met members of the local Jewish community.

“The NT community may number less than 200, but their passion and commitment is truly inspiring and it was a pleasure to get to know them during my trip,” he said.

Brown’s Mart general manager Liz Rogers said the venue was proud to work closely with the Jewish community.

“We are honoured to be working closely with the local Jewish community to ensure that we continue to learn and grow together with all cultural groups,” she said.