Ruqayyah Snyder
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western Australia agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia. The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand were originally part of this process, but they decided not to join the federation. The Constitution of Australia came into force on 1 January 1901, and the colonies collectively became states of the Commonwealth of Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of colonies before federation | 6 |
| Names of colonies | Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western Australia |
| Other colonies involved in the federation process | Fiji and New Zealand |
| Date of federation | 1 January 1901 |
| Date the Constitution of Australia came into force | 1 January 1901 |
| Date the Constitution Bill was drafted | 1898 |
| Date the Constitution received royal assent | 9 July 1900 |
| Date of the first federal election | 29-30 March 1901 |
| First Prime Minister of Australia | Edmund Barton |
| First Governor-General of Australia | The English-born Earl of Hopetoun |
| Hybrid system of government influenced by | The United States' Constitution and several British Acts |
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What You'll Learn
The six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901, after the British Parliament passed laws allowing six Australian colonies to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia. The six colonies were:
Queensland
Queensland was one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It was represented at the National Australasian Convention in Sydney in 1891 by Samuel Griffith, the then-Premier of Queensland, who is credited with writing the draft constitution. Queensland also voted to accept the Constitution in 1899.
New South Wales
New South Wales, the largest colony, was another one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It played a significant role in the federation process, with the NSW Colonial Secretary, Sir Edward Deas Thomson, first suggesting federation in the New South Wales Legislative Council in September 1846. Additionally, the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes, was a strong supporter of a federated Australia and gave a famous speech known as the 'Tenterfield Oration' in 1889. New South Wales also held a Federation League Rally in 1893, where it was proposed that the Australian people themselves would vote for Federation.
Victoria
Victoria was one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It was one of the four colonies that voted in favour of the Constitution in June 1898. Additionally, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, played a significant role in the federation process by hosting several important meetings, including the second session of the Australasian Federal Convention in 1897 and the opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia in May 1901.
Tasmania
Tasmania was one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It was represented at the National Australasian Convention in Sydney in 1891 by Andrew Inglis Clark, who drafted the first version of the Australian Constitution. Tasmania also voted to accept the Constitution in 1899.
South Australia
South Australia, which also governed what is now the Northern Territory, was one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It was one of the four colonies that voted in favour of the Constitution in June 1898. Additionally, Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, hosted the first session of the Australasian Federal Convention in 1897.
Western Australia
Western Australia was initially resistant to Federation but eventually became one of the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It held a referendum on the issue in July 1900, just weeks after the constitution received royal assent, and voted to accept the Constitution.
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The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand opted out
The Federation of Australia was the process by which six separate British self-governing colonies—Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia—agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia. The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand were initially part of this process but ultimately decided not to join the federation.
New Zealand's disinterest in the Federation Conferences of the 1880s and 1890s is often cited as a reason for its decision to opt out of the Australian Federation. In 1901, New Zealand held a Commission on Federation, where commissioners travelled the colony and took public submissions on whether to join the Commonwealth. Most submissions opposed union with Australia, with Premier Richard Seddon preferring to be the leader of an independent country. The prevailing view was that New Zealanders were of "superior stock" to their Australian counterparts. New Zealand also had different economic interests, trading mostly with the United Kingdom, whereas the other Australian colonies traded more with each other. Joining the Federation would have risked New Zealand losing control over its tariff arrangements and having customs barriers raised, negatively impacting its highly lucrative trade with the UK.
Some have suggested that the Tasman Sea, with its 1200 miles of ocean separating New Zealand from Australia, was also a factor in New Zealand's decision to remain independent. However, this argument is weakened by the inclusion of Tasmania, an island of similar size to New Zealand, in the Australian Federation.
Racial anxieties also played a role in New Zealand's decision. While there was a vocal minority of racialists who objected to rapprochement with the Maori, there was also a belief among some New Zealanders that they had a different approach to relations with their indigenous peoples than Australia did with theirs. This was reflected in the Treaty of Waitangi, which is often cited as the reason New Zealand did not join the Federation, despite evidence suggesting that the Treaty was more honoured in breach than in observance during the relevant period.
As for Fiji, while there is limited information available, it can be surmised that similar factors may have influenced its decision to opt out of the Australian Federation. Fiji, like New Zealand, is an island nation separated from Australia by a significant distance. Additionally, Fiji may have had its own racial and cultural dynamics that influenced its decision-making, as suggested by references to the Pacific colonies and the potential annexation of Fiji by Australia.
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The Australian Capital Territory was established within New South Wales
Australia was officially federated on 1 January 1901, uniting the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
Prior to federation, there was much debate about where the seat of government should be located. Initially, Melbourne served as the temporary capital. However, it was decided that the location of the new capital would be within the state of New South Wales, at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney. This compromise led to the establishment of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, as a separate territory within New South Wales.
The process of selecting a specific site for the new capital was a lengthy one. Initially, the Bombala district in the far south of New South Wales was proposed, along with other nearby regions. In 1908, the Seat of Government Act was passed, specifying a capital in the Canberra-Yass district, with an area of at least 900 square miles (2,330 square km) and access to the sea. The city of Canberra was officially founded and named in 1913, and the surrounding region was formally ceded to the federal government in 1911.
The territory was transferred to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911, and the land has remained in government ownership since then. The foundation stone was laid in 1913, and work began on basic infrastructure, including planting trees and establishing a water supply. The design of the new capital was awarded to Walter Burley Griffin, a Chicago architect influenced by the English garden city movement.
Canberra is now the capital city of Australia and is situated within the Australian Capital Territory. The territory includes other towns such as Williamsdale, Oaks Estate, Uriarra, Tharwa, and Hall, as well as the Namadgi National Park, which comprises the majority of the territory's land area.
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The Constitution Bill was drafted in 1898
The Constitution Bill, drafted in 1898, was a significant step towards the Federation of Australia, which saw six separate British self-governing colonies unite to form the Commonwealth of Australia. The colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (including what is now the Northern Territory), and Western Australia came together to establish a system of federalism.
The process of drafting the Constitution Bill involved several key individuals and conventions. The second Constitutional Convention, also known as the Australasian Federal Convention, was held in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne between 1897 and 1898. This convention was chaired by Edmund Barton, who later became Australia's first Prime Minister. The delegates at this convention modified an earlier draft produced in 1891, incorporating principles of responsible government and balancing state and federal powers.
The 1898 draft was based on a version written by Tasmanian delegate Andrew Inglis Clark, who circulated his own draft constitution bill before the 1891 National Australasian Convention in Sydney. Clark's draft drew inspiration from the United States Constitution and several British Acts, resulting in Australia's unique "Washminster" system of government. The 1898 draft also included added provisions for responsible government and omitted a section resembling the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution.
After being endorsed by Australian electors in each colony through referendums in 1899 and 1900, the Constitution Bill was sent to the British Parliament for approval. The British Parliament requested further changes, and the final version became law as the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, receiving Queen Victoria's assent on 9 July 1900. This Act came into effect on 1 January 1901, marking the official unification of the six colonies into states within the Commonwealth of Australia.
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The Constitution received royal assent on 9 July 1900
Australia's Federation was the process by which six separate British self-governing colonies—Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western Australia—agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia. The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand were initially part of this process, but they opted not to join the federation. The Constitution of Australia came into force on 1 January 1901, and the colonies collectively became states of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The groundwork for the Federation of Australia was laid in the mid-19th century. In 1846, the NSW Colonial Secretary, Sir Edward Deas Thomson, suggested federation in the New South Wales Legislative Council. The Governor of New South Wales, Sir Charles Fitzroy, wrote to the United Kingdom's Colonial Office, proposing a "superior functionary" with the authority to review the legislation of all the colonies. In 1853, FitzRoy was appointed governor of Van Diemen's Land, South Australia, and Victoria, effectively becoming a pre-federation governor-general of Australia. In 1847, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Grey, proposed a "General Assembly" of the colonies, which was not well-received. This prompted William Wentworth to suggest the establishment of "a Congress from the various Colonial Legislatures" to make laws on "inter-colonial questions". In 1857, Wentworth founded the "General Association for the Australian Colonies", which sought to obtain a federal assembly for all of Australia. He drafted a bill proposing a confederation of the Australian colonies, with each colony given equal representation in an intercolonial assembly.
The National Australasian Convention took place in Sydney in 1891, with delegates from each colony, including New Zealand, deciding on the name "Commonwealth of Australia". The Tasmanian delegate, Andrew Inglis Clark, a long-time admirer of American federal institutions, introduced the US Constitution as an example of the protection of states' rights. Clark's draft constitution bill was influenced by the United States Constitution and several British Acts, forming the basis of Australia's hybrid system of government, colloquially known as "Washminster" (a portmanteau of Washington and Westminster).
The Constitution Bill was drafted in 1898 and sent to New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria to be voted on by the electorate. It received majority votes in all four colonies. However, the enabling legislation in New South Wales required the support of at least 80,000 voters, a threshold that was not met. The process of Federation faced further challenges due to the economic depression of the 1890s, which brought high unemployment and strikes.
The Australian Constitution Bill was drafted at a series of Constitutional Conventions in the 1890s and taken to London in 1900 by a delegation led by Edmund Barton. The Bill had to pass through the British Parliament, and this was achieved after some struggles regarding appeals from Australian courts to the Privy Council in Britain.
On 9 July 1900, Queen Victoria signed the Royal Assent, and the Bill providing for the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia became law. This document, known as the Commission of Assent, along with the original Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act and the Letters Patent establishing the office of Governor-General, are considered the 'birth certificates' of the Australian nation and the key instruments of the Commonwealth.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia comprised six separate self-governing British colonies before federation: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western Australia.
The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand were originally part of the federation process but decided not to join.
After federation, the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia became states.
The colonies became states on 1 January 1901, when the Constitution of Australia came into force.
