Lyla Lindsey
The Federation of Australia was a remarkable political achievement, bringing together six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia, to form the Commonwealth of Australia. The process of federation was a long one, involving many meetings, discussions, and debates, and the Australian people decided to federate through referendums and public votes. The movement towards federation was driven by various factors, including the desire for a united defence force, the need to restrict non-white immigration, and the benefits of increased trade and economic strength.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Federation | 1 January 1901 |
| Colonies involved | Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia |
| Previous political status | Six separate British self-governing colonies |
| New political status | Commonwealth of Australia |
| New government | Federal government |
| New laws | Australian Constitution |
| New head of state | British monarch |
| Citizenship | Australians remained British citizens until the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 |
| Defence | United defence force |
| Immigration | Restrict and control immigration from countries in Asia and the Pacific |
| Voting rights | Women in most colonies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were excluded from voting |
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What You'll Learn
The Australian Natives Association
The Australian Natives' Association (ANA) was a mutual society founded in Melbourne, Australia, in April 1871. Membership was restricted to Australian-born men of European descent, at a time when this group was rising to power, replacing an older generation born in Britain. The association's objectives were to provide benefits to members and their families, including sickness, medical, funeral, and widow and orphan support.
The ANA played a leading role in the movement for Australian federation in the last 20 years of the 19th century. The organisation was non-partisan, but it adopted the rising liberal politician and ANA member Alfred Deakin as their candidate for leadership of the federal movement. The ANA provided organisational and financial support for the Federation Leagues, which led the campaign for federation, particularly in Victoria. The association mobilised branches across the country to educate the public and urge support for a 'yes' vote at the Constitution Bill referendums in 1898 and 1899. The ANA's efforts were widely credited for the successful outcome of these referendums.
The ANA's mission was to stoke nationalist sentiment for federation, with the ultimate goal of shaping Australia's nationhood and identity. The association's journal, 'Advance Australia', published between 1897 and 1919, reflected this sentiment and later became the organisation's motto in 1920. The ANA advocated for a socially progressive Australia, supporting minimum wages, women's enfranchisement, and free secular education.
In 1894, the ANA carried a motion at their Annual Conference in support of women's right to vote. However, for most of its existence, the association did not admit women as members, instead encouraging them to join the Australasian Women's Association (AWA), formed in 1900. The two associations worked closely together, and the ANA covered all the expenses of setting up the AWA. It was not until 1964 that the two groups amalgamated, and women became full members of the ANA.
The ANA's membership peaked at 17,000 in 1900, mainly in Victoria. The association's influence extended beyond its membership numbers, with many prominent politicians, businessmen, and trade unionists among its ranks, including the first Australian-born governor-general, Isaac Isaacs.
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The Federal Council of Australasia
The final push for the Federal Council came at a "Convention" on 28 November 1883, in Sydney, where the six Australian colonies, New Zealand, and Fiji were represented. The conference resulted in a bill drafted by Sir Samuel Griffith, the Premier of Queensland, to constitute the Federal Council. The bill became law on 14 August 1885, as the Federal Council of Australasia Act 1885, which gave any Australasian colony the power to join or withdraw from the council.
The Federal Council was a limited legislative body. It had the power to legislate directly on specific matters, such as extradition, regulation of fisheries, patents of invention and discovery, and copyright. However, it lacked a permanent secretariat, executive powers, or any revenue of its own. The absence of the powerful colony of New South Wales also weakened its representative value.
The first assembly of the Federal Council took place on 25 January 1886, in Hobart, Tasmania. The meeting consisted of representatives from the self-governing colonies of Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria, and the Crown Colonies of Western Australia and Fiji. New South Wales and New Zealand did not join the Federal Council, and South Australia was only briefly a member between 1888 and 1890.
The Federal Council met eight times between 1886 and 1899 to discuss matters of common interest. It was abolished by the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, section 7.
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The Corowa Conference
The conference was attended by delegates from various colonies, including William Lyne representing New South Wales, and the Premier and Opposition Leader from the Victorian Ministry. Notably absent were the Premier and Opposition Leader of New South Wales, as well as prominent Federation advocates Henry Parkes and Edmund Barton. The two key figures at the conference were Sir John Quick and Robert Garran, who devised a scheme for an Australia-wide convention composed of directly elected delegates. This proposal, known as the Corowa Plan, called for the colonial parliaments to pass an Act allowing the election of representatives to a statutory convention, where a federal constitution would be drafted and subsequently put to a referendum in each colony.
The Corowa Plan provided a "road map" to Federation and was highly influential in the process. It addressed the concerns of smaller colonies, which feared their interests would be overlooked by larger colonies, by emphasising popular involvement and creating confidence in the constitution-writing process. The plan gained further support when it was adopted with minor modifications by four colonies at the Hobart Premier's Conference in 1895. This led to the Federal Conventions in 1897-98 and the eventual adoption of the draft constitution by referendum in 1899 and 1900.
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The Bathurst Federation League
The League's efforts built upon earlier initiatives, such as the 1893 Corowa Conference, where the Australian Federation League in New South Wales and the Australian Natives' Association in Victoria played a key role in pushing for Federation. The 1896 People's Convention in Bathurst further emphasised the cautious conversion of prominent figures like George Reid, the premier of New South Wales from 1894, to the federal cause.
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The Federation Bill
The idea of federation in Australia emerged as early as 1842, when an anonymous article in the South Australian Magazine called for a "Union of the Australasian Colonies into a Governor-Generalship." Over the following decades, various individuals and groups advocated for federation, including William Wentworth, who founded the "General Association for the Australian Colonies" in 1857. Wentworth produced a draft bill proposing a confederation of the Australian colonies, with each colony given equal representation in an intercolonial assembly.
The National Australasian Convention, held in Sydney in 1891 with delegates from each colony, played a significant role in the development of the Federation Bill. The convention used the 1891 draft constitution as a starting point for discussions, and delegates presented a draft Constitution Bill to their respective parliaments. However, the process of federation faced challenges due to economic depression, political opposition, and the complex dynamics between the colonies.
The final push for federation came at an Intercolonial Convention in Sydney in November and December 1883, triggered by the British rejection of Queensland's annexation of New Guinea. Sir Samuel Griffith, the Premier of Queensland, drafted a bill to constitute the Federal Council, which was endorsed by the convention.
In 1893, the NSW town of Corowa held a Federation League Rally, proposing that the Australian people themselves would vote on the Federation Bill. The bill was then sent to New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria to be voted on by the electorate in referendums held in June 1898, receiving majority support in all four colonies. However, New South Wales fell short of the required 80,000 votes for the enabling legislation to pass.
The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK) was passed on July 5, 1900, based on the Constitution Bill accepted by the colonies. Queen Victoria gave royal assent to the legislation, and it came into force on January 1, 1901, marking the official unification of the colonies and the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
There were several reasons for Australian Federation, including:
- Defence: The colonies were ill-equipped to defend themselves and feared they were vulnerable to attack from other nations with larger military forces. A united defence force could better protect Australia.
- Economy: The differences in railway systems, postage stamps and taxes between colonies caused problems and restricted trade.
- Immigration: Many people wanted to restrict non-white immigration and felt a national government would be better able to control this.
- Pride: By the end of the 1800s, most people in each colony had been born in Australia, and there was a growing sense of national pride.
Federation was a long process that involved many meetings and discussions. The Australian Natives Association, made up of white men born in Australia, provided the organisational and financial base for a number of Federation leagues that formed to work towards a united Australia. There were also Constitutional Conventions, where representatives from the colonies met to discuss the new nation. The final decision was made through referendums, where the Australian people voted on whether to join together as a nation.
The referendums resulted in the majority of electors deciding in favour of Federation. However, it is important to note that not everyone was able to take part in the process. Women in most colonies were not able to vote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were largely excluded from voting and celebrations.
