Australia Federation Research Paper

Essay: Federation of Australia By Tristan Scheirs

Defence
A very important reason why Australia decided to become a nation (having a federal government) was because of an inadequate defence force. Each of the six colonies in Australia had their own military force. But when it came to patrolling the extensive Australian coastline, they had to rely on the British navy to fulfil that task. Due to there being a number of countries such as Germany, France, and Russia who had colonised parts of the Pacific, there was a growing fear that one of them could have attacked Australia. There was a report released by British Major - General Sir J Bevan Edwards in 1889, states the individual colonies of Australia did not have enough soldiers,

Federation for Australia was when six independant Brisitsh colonies were no longer divided. It was the year “1901” when Federation happened for Australia. Federation took place because of the need to be more organised, to improve the defence of Australia, better transportation, stronger communication, to unify the economy and to strengthen the pride of being Australian. The idea of six colonies uniting as one had an apeal to people which lead to motivating the spirit of Australia and being as one. However, it was a long process to Federation, requiring referendums and the Queen's approval.

Even though Australia had federated in 1901, she was still part of the British Empire and Australians vowed to protect the “Mother Country”. Australian Labor Party Leader Andrew Fisher famously stated that Australia would defend Britain, “to the last man and the last shilling” (Darlington, Smithies and Wood, 2012, p.234). Fisher shared this view with many Australians, including the Prime Minister, Joseph Cook. Also, Australia and Britain both

Federation in Australia was a big Debate at the time in the 1890’s some states wanted it to happen and some didn’t. They were also 6 different colonies being the same as they are today except for the ACT, South Australia, Northern Territory (as it was a part of South Australia) and Tasmania as they had not legislated for single-member electorates.

On the first of January 1901 Australia became a federation when the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act came into force. Since this time, Australia has been a federated country, consisting of a Commonwealth Parliament and six State Parliaments these being Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia. The Division of law-making power has changed considerably since 1901.

The British did not do well at the beginning of the war. The British wanted the colonies to have a united response to the attacks but they rejected the proposal and continued to care about their separate interests. This was not a smart move for the colonies and they would have been much stronger if they had listened Benjamin Franklin’s plan to unite the colonies.

People were growing tired of being susceptible to attacks so easily, vulnerable to the most minuscule of invasions, which was one strong driver to Australia’s coming of a Federation. This was driven by the uprising of nations such as Germany, France and Russia who had already started colonising neighbouring parts of the Pacific. Along with this, Neighbouring Asian country were also a threat, as they had large populations and armies. Alfred Deakin, the Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation once referred to this problem by stating that 'The Asiatic wave which has threatened to engulf us is only suspended for a short time, but if the colonies do not federate our comparatively trifling white population will be swept before it like a feather’. Along with this, unified nation made Australia better equipped to deal with foreign policy matters. An example of this was when Germany gain ownership of New Guinea. It is believed that New Guinea could have belonged to Australia if the six colonies had been able to unify, meaning that a German invasion would be unlikely. What federation created was a united defence force which could better protect Australia and it’s possessions, which would intern strengthen Australia’s

Federation Essay “How did the Federation positively affected Australia?” Australia became an independent nation on the 1st of January, 1901. This occurred as the British Parliament passed legislation stating that the six colonies of Australia could govern and become the Commonwealth of Australia. The six colonies were New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia who were all separate colonies until the legislation was passed.

The American Colonies did not have the luxury of raising taxes to support its army. They had a shortage of ammunition and food, and their government was weak and divided. They did have some advantages over the British though. It’s leader General George Washington had fought in the French and Indian War against the British Army. He was already familiar with the tactics of the British Army. The war was on their land and they knew the land. They did not have to wait weeks to receive orders. Motivation was also an advantage. The troops had a common goal, freedom from

On the 1st of January 1901, six British colonies were legalised by the British parliament to govern as a part of the Australian Federation. With the legalisation of unification also held the birth of national independence of Australia. Under a federal system, powers were divided between a central government and several regional governments. Power was divided between the federal government and the governments of the six colonies, which were renamed 'states' by the Constitution. One of the first pieces of legislation passed in the new Federal Parliament was the Immigration Restriction Act. Now known as the infamous White Australia Policy. This immigration restriction made it significantly difficult for Asians and Pacific Islanders to migrate to Australia.

  All together they came to the conclusion that the colonies should be prepared to fight back against British aggression. The once seperated 13 colonies became united to be heard as a

Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Now, Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels.

EDE 325 Assignment 1 Case study (30%). Due 20th June, 2016, 1500 words (10% leeway +/-) Includes intext references.

relieved them. The fact that the british called for a division that had just finishedfighting and the four divisions of what they saw as a colony shows how ill-prepared

To introduce, Australia was country solely owned and run by Britian until 1901, the year of Australian federation, from 6 separate self-governing colonies to one, on the 26th day of January 1901. ’While Federation was not perfect, it was a system (of both laws and beliefs) that enabled Australia to flourish.’ The question itself represents the states coming together as one uniting nation. The laws, the beliefs, the privileges and the embellishment of the phrase gives you a sense of welcoming into the history of Australian federation.