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Before 1901, Australia was made up of six separate British colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. These colonies were under the control of the British Parliament and governed by the British monarch, but they also had their own governments and laws, defence forces, taxes, and even different railway gauges. The desire for unification and a national government that could control immigration led to the colonies uniting to form the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, with the first federal parliament opening on 9 May 1901.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of becoming a nation | 1 January 1901 |
| Previous colonies | New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania |
| British rule | Yes, under the British Parliament |
| Head of state | British Monarch |
| Self-governing | Partially |
| Citizenship | British |
| Defence | Each colony had its own defence force |
| Postal system | Each colony issued its own stamps |
| Taxes | Each colony collected its own taxes |
| Railway | Each colony built railways using different gauges |
| Law-making powers | Each colony had its own laws |
| First Prime Minister | Edmund Barton |
| First Governor-General | Lord Hopetoun |
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What You'll Learn
Australia's six British colonies
The history of Australia as a nation began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, which established the colony of New South Wales. Over time, other colonies were established, including Van Diemen's Land (later renamed Tasmania), Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland. These colonies were governed by the British, with the British monarch as the head of state. However, from the mid-19th century, autonomous parliamentary democracies began to emerge, and by the late 1800s, each colony had its own parliament, defence force, stamps, and tariffs. They were like separate countries, and the only thing missing was a formal declaration of independence.
The desire for unification was a significant factor in the push for Federation. Despite their individual governance, the six states felt a sense of belonging due to their shared continent and British heritage. This is reflected in the words of New South Wales Premier, Sir Henry Parkes, who referred to the "crimson thread of kinship" that united all Australians. By 1901, over three-quarters of the population were Australian-born, and a sense of national identity was emerging. Australians increasingly identified as Australian rather than British, and this was reflected in contemporary songs and poems celebrating Australia and its people.
The colonies also recognised the benefits of uniting to form a stronger nation. For example, they wanted to establish a national government to control immigration and address the issue of racial conflict in a multicultural society. Additionally, the different railway gauges used by the colonies complicated the transport of people and goods across the continent, and a unified nation could address this issue.
The Commonwealth of Australia was officially declared on 1 January 1901, in a ceremony held in Centennial Park, Sydney. The English-born Earl of Hopetoun, Lord Hopetoun, was appointed as Australia's first Governor-General, and Edmund Barton became the first Prime Minister. The first federal election took place on 29–30 March 1901, with Barton continuing in his role as Prime Minister. The first federal parliament was opened on 9 May 1901 by the Duke of York (later King George V) in Melbourne, and the White Australia policy was enshrined in law.
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The colonies' self-governance
Before 1901, Australia was made up of six separate British colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. These colonies were established in the late 1700s, and by the late 1800s, they had their own parliaments and a significant degree of self-governance. Each colony had its own government, laws, defence force, issued stamps, and collected tariffs on goods crossing its borders.
The push for Federation, or the unification of these colonies, was driven by a desire to form a stronger, unified nation. This process of deliberation, consultation, and debate culminated in the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901.
The colonies enjoyed a significant degree of self-governance before 1901, with each having its own parliament and government. For example, the colony of Victoria was established through the Australian Colonies Government Act of the British House of Commons in 1851, which provided for a Legislative Council with legislative powers over all matters except crown lands. Similarly, the colony of New South Wales had been self-governing since 1842, with its own Legislative Council.
The process of Federation, which began in the 1890s, was driven by the recognition that the colonies would be stronger if they united. This was articulated by Sir Henry Parkes, who called for "a great national government for all Australia" in his Tenterfield Oration in 1889. The colonies had already begun to identify as Australian rather than British, with soldiers from the different colonies serving together as Australians in the Boer War in 1899.
The formation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 marked the culmination of this process, with the colonies uniting to form a single nation with a federal government and a shared constitution. The British monarch remained the head of state, but Australia was now largely self-governing, with the power to make laws and govern its own affairs.
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The British rule
Before 1901, Australia was made up of six separate British colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. These colonies were established in the late 1700s and, by the late 1800s, they had their own governments and parliaments, allowing them a degree of self-governance. However, they were still under the ultimate rule of the British Parliament and were subject to British law-making power. Each colony had its own unique set of laws, railway gauges, postage stamps, and taxes, which often caused problems and led to discussions about the benefits of unification.
The British settlement of Australia began as a penal colony governed by a captain of the Royal Navy. From 1788 to 1790, marines guarded English settlements at Sydney Cove and Norfolk Island. In 1790, a unit specifically recruited for colonial service relieved the marines, and in 1810, the 73rd Regiment of Foot became the first line regiment to serve in Australia. Until the 1850s, British regular troops garrisoned the colonies with little local assistance. During this time, one of their primary roles was to maintain civil order and suppress any resistance from the Aboriginal population to British settlement.
Despite the presence of British troops, colonial military forces were also maintained. As early as December 1788, the commandant of Norfolk Island, Phillip Gidley King, ordered his free male settlers to practise musketry on Saturdays. In 1800, the first military unit on the Australian mainland was formed when Governor Hunter asked 100 free male settlers in Sydney and Parramatta to form Loyal Associations to help suppress potential convict uprisings. These local forces began to be recruited into the British military from the 1850s onwards.
In the late 1800s, a growing sense of national pride and a desire for unification emerged in the colonies, with over three-quarters of the population being Australian-born. This led to calls for the colonies to unite and form a single nation. On January 1, 1901, the six colonies joined as states to become the Commonwealth of Australia, marking the end of British rule and the beginning of a self-governing nation.
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The Commonwealth of Australia
Before 1901, Australia was made up of six separate British colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. These colonies partly governed themselves but were also under the control of the British Parliament. Each colony had its own government, laws, defence force, stamps, and taxes.
On January 1, 1901, these six colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia, also known as the Federation of Australia. This marked a significant shift in how Australia was governed, as it established a new national Parliament and an Australian Constitution, which divided law-making powers between the former colonies, now called states, and the new Parliament. The Constitution established a bicameral Parliament, consisting of the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House), both of which could formulate legislation on behalf of the new nation.
The first federal Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia was opened on May 9, 1901, in Melbourne, and was a lavish ceremony attended by over 12,000 guests. The Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V) presided over the opening, and members of Parliament were sworn in by the Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, who had been appointed Australia's first Governor-General. The first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton, and the federal ministers also took the oath of office during the ceremony.
While the Commonwealth of Australia marked a move towards self-governance, the British monarch remained the head of state, and Australians remained British citizens until the Nationality and Citizenship Act of 1948. The formation of the Commonwealth aimed to unify the colonies, streamline governance, and address issues arising from the differences between the colonies, such as varying railway gauges and conflicting laws and taxes.
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The White Australia policy
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901 when six British colonies—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania—united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. This process is known as Federation. Before 1901, the six colonies were almost like separate countries, with their own governments, laws, defence forces, and stamps. Each colony also had its own immigration policies, with some going so far as to exclude anyone of non-British descent.
The roots of the White Australia Policy can be traced back to the 1800s when there was a growing sentiment against the introduction of coloured persons in Australia. This sentiment was fuelled by the increasing use of indentured Pacific Islander labour in the north of Australia, which was seen as a cheap alternative to paying proper wages to white employees. By 1888, all the colonies had restricted Chinese immigration, and subsequently, other Asian immigration, including Japanese and South Asian immigrants. The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 had led to an influx of immigrants from around the world, and the colonies wanted to maintain their economic, political, and demographic control.
After the Second World War, the policy began to be gradually dismantled, with the Chifley and Menzies governments encouraging non-British Europeans, including refugees from continental Europe, to immigrate to Australia. The Migration Act of 1958 abolished the dictation test, and in 1966, the Holt government removed discrimination against non-white applicants for citizenship. The Whitlam government furthered these efforts in the 1970s, passing the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975, which made it unlawful to consider race in the immigration process.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia was a British colony.
From 1788, British troops guarded the colonies and maintained civil order. Each colony had its own government and laws, defence force, issued its own stamps and collected tariffs on goods.
In 1901, six British colonies—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania—united to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
The new Australian Constitution reorganised law-making power in Australia. The colonies, now called states, gave some of their law-making power to the new Commonwealth Government.
The British Parliament had to agree to the unification. In 1900, Queen Victoria signed the document creating the Commonwealth of Australia, which came into effect on 1 January 1901.
