Ernest Roberts (Australian politician)

The Honourable Ernest Roberts
Roberts in c. 1908
Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Adelaide
In office 13 June 1908 – 2 December 1913
Preceded by	Charles Kingston
Succeeded by	George Edwin Yates
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly for Adelaide
In office 27 May 1905 – 15 May 1908
Preceded by	Bill Denny
Succeeded by	Edward Alfred Anstey
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly for Gladstone
In office 25 April 1896 – 3 May 1902
Preceded by	James Henderson Howe
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	(1868-02-21)21 February 1868 London, England
Died	2 December 1913(1913-12-02) (aged 45) Melbourne, Australia
Nationality	British-Australian
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Bridget Marie Collins ​ ​ (m. 1892)​
Children	4
Occupation	Wharf labourer, journalist, politician
Military service
Allegiance	British/Australian
Service / branch	4th Imperial Bushmen's Contingent 2nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse
Years of service	1900–1902
Rank	Captain

Ernest Alfred Roberts (21 February 1868 – 2 December 1913) was an Australian politician and soldier who was a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1902 and 1905 to 1908 and then the Australian House of Representatives from 1908 to 1913. Roberts also served as an officer in South Africa during the Second Boer War, with South Australian colonial forces in 1900 and Commonwealth forces in 1902. From 1904 to 1908 he was the editor of The Herald, a left-wing newspaper published by the United Labor Party (ULP).

Born in London and schooled on the island of Guernsey, Roberts initially followed his father into the merchant marine, and after briefly living in Queensland he moved to Port Pirie, South Australia. There he worked on the wharves, was active in the labour movement, and was a member of the town council. In 1893 he ran unsuccessfully for the seat of Gladstone in the House of Assembly as an independent Labour candidate. On his second attempt in 1896 he was elected as a ULP candidate, and was the youngest member of the assembly. He cemented his position at the 1899 election. In late 1899, he crossed the floor and contributed to the defeat of the ministry of Charles Kingston, attracting sharp criticism from some parts of the ULP.

In 1900, Roberts served in the Second Boer War in South Africa as a lieutenant with the 4th Imperial Bushmen's Contingent raised from South Australia. After its arrival in June his unit was involved in several engagements, including the relief of the garrison at Elands River. In December, Roberts, considering the fighting almost over, asked for and received permission to return home, and resumed his seat in the assembly. Post-Federation, Roberts helped raise a unit of the Australian Commonwealth Horse and served with it as a captain in South Africa in 1902. The main operation of his unit was as part of a large-scale concerted "drive" to push the remaining Boers to surrender, and Roberts personally accepted the surrender of more than 190 Boers, along with the capture of a similar number of horses. Roberts' term in the assembly expired while he was absent in South Africa, and he did not contest any seat at the 1902 South Australian state election. From 1904 to 1908 Roberts edited The Herald, and he successfully ran for the seat of Adelaide in the 1905 state election. He was re-elected in the state election of 3 November 1906. He was vice-president and then president of the ULP in 1907–1908, and was also a member of the council of the South Australian School of Mines and a board member of the Adelaide Co-operative Society.

When a by-election was called for 13 June 1908 in the federal division of Adelaide following Kingston's death, Roberts ran as the Australian Labour (Labor from 1912) Party candidate and won the seat, then retained it in the 1910 federal election. Roberts represented the minister for defence, Senator George Pearce, in the House of Representatives, and also while Pearce was overseas in 1911, and was appointed as an honorary minister later that year. He retained his seat at the 1913 federal election, but soon after a fierce parliamentary debate on 2 December 1913 he collapsed and died from a heart condition. He received a state funeral attended by 6,000 people. The loss of Roberts – considered a highly capable and up-and-coming member of the ULP – was felt intensely by his political comrades, along with his fire, energy and enthusiasm. In 1917 a monument was erected over his grave at West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide, which The Advertiser newspaper described as "emblematic of the untimely end to [his] brilliant career".