For millennia Aboriginals & Torres Strait Islanders lived & practiced traditional cultures and languages. Then from the late 1700s, British colonies started. By late 1800s, 6 colonies had their own parliaments but were still subject to the British Parliament’s law-making. The colonies were separate, each with its own government and laws, separate defence force and separate tariffs collections on goods crossing borders. A belief grew that a National Government had to deal with defence, immigration & trade.
NSW Premier Sir Henry Parkes 1889, Father of Federation
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Tariffs provided colonial governments with revenue, but increasing the cost of goods made it hard for manufacturers outside a colony to compete with locals. Travelling between colonies was difficult. The Melb-Sydney train was delayed at the border in Albury while customs officials searched passengers' luggage. Free traders argued that ending tariffs & having a single market would improve each colony.
The Australian colonies built their railways independently, choosing different track gauges. When trains reached a colonial border, passengers disembarked in mid-journey, carried luggage and boarded other trains. Worse still, cargo & livestock were unloaded from one train and reloaded to another, causing severe delays and high labour costs. [In Oct 1921 a royal commission recommended uniform gauges.]
Members of Australasian Federation Conference, 1890,
Nat Library of Australia
In late C19th, colonists opposed non British immigrants. They feared cheap non-white labour would compete with colonists for jobs, lower wages & living standards. The fears stemmed from anti-Chinese sentiment in the 1850s goldfields & resentment to Pacific Islanders in Qld's sugar industry. A national government could control immigration better than colonies. Colonists shared a common language, culture and heritage, and increasingly began to identify as Australian, not British. By the 1890s, 3/4 of civilians were Australian-born so sporting teams represented Australia; contemporary songs celebrated national pride
Convinced the colonies would be stronger if they united, NSW Premier Sir Henry Parkes made rousing speeches in 1889, calling for 1 national government! His call lobbied his fellow premiers to back Federation. In Feb 1890 delegates from each colonial parliament AND New Zealand Parliament met at the Australasian Federation Conference in Melbourne. The conference agreed that the Australian colonies could have an early union under the crown, and a national convention could draft a Commonwealth Constitution. The 1st National Australasian Convention in Sydney in early 1891 had delegates from each colony & from New Zealand. During the 5 week convention Edmund Barton, Australia’s 1st Prime Minister, co-planned a draft constitution.
Qld Premier Sir S Griffith drafted the final constitution, partially inspired by the U.S federal model which was also bringing together self-governing colonies as a nation. Under our draft constitution the colonies would unite as separate states in the Common-wealth, with power shared between a National Parliament and State Parliaments.
Key features of the draft constitution:
The Australian Commonwealth was declared on 1st Jan 1901 in Sydney’s Centennial Park where 1st Gov-Gen Lord Hopetoun was sworn in. And Australia's 1st Prime Minister, Edmund Barton and Federal Ministers took the oath of office. 500,000 people lined the roads as the marchers travelled from to Centennial Park before c100,000 spectators. Across Australia people celebrated with parades, school pageants, fire-works, sports & lectures. Federation arches decorated the main streets. The 6 British colonies were now states.
Sth & W Australian women were enfranchised, but other women were blocked. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were totally excluded. Women in other states continued with their own Federal Leagues, trying to win the vote in the new nation. Elections for the new Federal Parliament were held in late Mar 1901, some of the newly elected parliamentarians having been in colonial parliaments.
The 1st Parliament opened in May 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall & York/later King George V. A lavish ceremony was held in Melbourne’s Exhibition Building and was attended by 12,000+ guests. Parliam-entarians were sworn in by the Gov-Gen and then went by carriage to Victoria's Parliament House. The Senate then met in the Legislative Council, and the House of Representatives met in the Legislative Assembly. Victoria’s Parliament House was the temporary home of Federal Parliament so Victorian Parliament met in Exhibition Building until 1927, when the new Federal Parliament House opened in Canberra.
Key features of the draft constitution:
1.Federal Parliament would comprise the monarch via Gov-Gen, Senate and House of Representatives.
2.Federal Parliament would be responsible for areas affecting the nation eg trade, defence, immigration, telegraph/post & marriage/divorce.
3.Power to make and manage federal law was divided between Parliament (make laws), Executive (implement them) and Judiciary (interpret them).
Delegates took the draft constitution back to their parliaments. Faced with a monetary decline, Parliaments lost enthusiasm for Federation, esp after hero Henry Parkes retired. While the colonial parliaments put the issue of Federation backwards, groups like the Australian Federation League in NSW pushed for Federation. In 1893 a people's conference in Corowa NSW agreed to hold a citizens’ referendum to approve the draft.
Premiers' Conference 1895 in Hobart, the colonies mostly agreed to the proposal. Federation might mean losing its Pacific Islander labour force, Qld did not participate, nor did New Zealand. In 1896 Bathurst Federation League, frustrated by the colonial parliaments’ inaction, held a 2nd people's conference where 150+ delegates wanted a new convention. In 1896 elections were held in NSW, Vic, Sth Aus & Tasmania. The 2nd National Australasian Convention met 3 times during 1897-8, starting with the 1891 draft constitution.
In Mar 1898 they agreed to the draft constitution so citizens of the 6 colonies were asked to approve the constitution in referenda. In June 1898 the referenda meant Australia was the first nation to take a proposed constitution to the people for approval. Federal Leagues, clubs & societies were formed in the 1890s to advocate avidly for Federation, and press reports were well read and built popular support.
Anti-Federation groups argued Federation would weaken the colonial parliaments and interstate free trade would lead to lower wages and job loss. The referendum was passed in Victoria, Sth Australia and Tasmania. Although a majority of voters in NSW voted yes in the referendum, it did not attract the 80,000 yes-votes set by the NSW colonial parliament as the required minimum. Qld & W. Australia, concerned Federation would give NSW & Victoria an advantage over the less powerful states, did not hold referenda.
In Jan 1899 the Premiers met to find how to bring about Federation, although the W.A Premier did not attend. To win the support of NSW & Qld colonial parliaments, the Premiers made some further changes to the draft constitution. NB the decision to establish the Australian National Capital in NSW 160+ km from Sydney. In Ap-July 1899 referenda were again held in Victoria, NSW, Sth Australia & Tasmania, although W Australia still stayed away. All 4 colonies agreed to the proposed constitution. In Sept Qld agreed to the constitution by a narrow margin, 54+%. The Brisbane Courier welcomed the result and urged all Qld people to unite.
The constitution needed passing by the British Parliament before Federation could proceed. In Mar 1900 a delegation, with a delegate from each of the 6 colonies, travelled to London to present the con-stitition to Parliament. Common-wealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 passed in London in July 1900; Queen Victoria signed the Act. 3 weeks after the Australian Constitution became law in Britain, a referendum was finally held in W Aus. Knowing the other colonies were sorted, W Australian colonial parliament stopped opposing Federation & most W Australian voters wanted it.
Delegates took the draft constitution back to their parliaments. Faced with a monetary decline, Parliaments lost enthusiasm for Federation, esp after hero Henry Parkes retired. While the colonial parliaments put the issue of Federation backwards, groups like the Australian Federation League in NSW pushed for Federation. In 1893 a people's conference in Corowa NSW agreed to hold a citizens’ referendum to approve the draft.
Premiers' Conference 1895 in Hobart, the colonies mostly agreed to the proposal. Federation might mean losing its Pacific Islander labour force, Qld did not participate, nor did New Zealand. In 1896 Bathurst Federation League, frustrated by the colonial parliaments’ inaction, held a 2nd people's conference where 150+ delegates wanted a new convention. In 1896 elections were held in NSW, Vic, Sth Aus & Tasmania. The 2nd National Australasian Convention met 3 times during 1897-8, starting with the 1891 draft constitution.
In Mar 1898 they agreed to the draft constitution so citizens of the 6 colonies were asked to approve the constitution in referenda. In June 1898 the referenda meant Australia was the first nation to take a proposed constitution to the people for approval. Federal Leagues, clubs & societies were formed in the 1890s to advocate avidly for Federation, and press reports were well read and built popular support.
Anti-Federation groups argued Federation would weaken the colonial parliaments and interstate free trade would lead to lower wages and job loss. The referendum was passed in Victoria, Sth Australia and Tasmania. Although a majority of voters in NSW voted yes in the referendum, it did not attract the 80,000 yes-votes set by the NSW colonial parliament as the required minimum. Qld & W. Australia, concerned Federation would give NSW & Victoria an advantage over the less powerful states, did not hold referenda.
In Jan 1899 the Premiers met to find how to bring about Federation, although the W.A Premier did not attend. To win the support of NSW & Qld colonial parliaments, the Premiers made some further changes to the draft constitution. NB the decision to establish the Australian National Capital in NSW 160+ km from Sydney. In Ap-July 1899 referenda were again held in Victoria, NSW, Sth Australia & Tasmania, although W Australia still stayed away. All 4 colonies agreed to the proposed constitution. In Sept Qld agreed to the constitution by a narrow margin, 54+%. The Brisbane Courier welcomed the result and urged all Qld people to unite.
The constitution needed passing by the British Parliament before Federation could proceed. In Mar 1900 a delegation, with a delegate from each of the 6 colonies, travelled to London to present the con-stitition to Parliament. Common-wealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 passed in London in July 1900; Queen Victoria signed the Act. 3 weeks after the Australian Constitution became law in Britain, a referendum was finally held in W Aus. Knowing the other colonies were sorted, W Australian colonial parliament stopped opposing Federation & most W Australian voters wanted it.
Lord Hopetoun being sworn in as Australia’s Gov-Gen,
Sydney, 1 Jan 1901, National Library Australia
Sth & W Australian women were enfranchised, but other women were blocked. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were totally excluded. Women in other states continued with their own Federal Leagues, trying to win the vote in the new nation. Elections for the new Federal Parliament were held in late Mar 1901, some of the newly elected parliamentarians having been in colonial parliaments.
The 1st Parliament opened in May 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall & York/later King George V. A lavish ceremony was held in Melbourne’s Exhibition Building and was attended by 12,000+ guests. Parliam-entarians were sworn in by the Gov-Gen and then went by carriage to Victoria's Parliament House. The Senate then met in the Legislative Council, and the House of Representatives met in the Legislative Assembly. Victoria’s Parliament House was the temporary home of Federal Parliament so Victorian Parliament met in Exhibition Building until 1927, when the new Federal Parliament House opened in Canberra.
Centennial Park Sydney, swearing-in ceremony of Australia's 1st government
1/1/1901, Wiki
Celebrating the opening of the 1st Parliament,
Exhibition Building Melbourne 9/5/1901
National Library Australia.
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