A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Newtown on 13 January 1883. The election was triggered by the appointment of Henry Copeland as Secretary for Public Works in the Stuart ministry. George Reid comfortably retained his seat at the East Sydney by-election held the week before, while the six other ministers, Alexander Stuart (Illawarra), George Dibbs (St Leonards), Henry Cohen (West Maitland), James Farnell (New England), Francis Wright (Redfern) and Joseph Abbott (Gunnedah), were re-elected unopposed.