Sir Henry Parke's 'Making A Nation'

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.

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,

As the Prime Minister of Australia, it is my duty to present my democratic nation with their elected desires. The current issue is concerning the movement of Australia’s governing system from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. I believe that Australia should become a republic, as our sunburnt country has overtime developed culturally and democratically since 1901 when we become the Commonwealth of Australia, and started living under the ruling of Queen Elizabeth the Second. We have created a place that is in no way similar to the British Empire. As Australians we respect and acknowledge the traditional owners of our land, the Aborigines. Over time, it seems as though we have taken this country out of their hands and handed it to the

In this referendum, 54.87% of the population voted in the negative to Australia becoming a republic. The result obtained through this nationwide ballot show that the overwhelming majority of Australian’s have chosen to not become a republic when presented the opportunity. Additionally, they contest that the current system of governance has effectively worked since the days of conception to now. So a system which has been functional and a major source of stability for over 116 years, doesn’t require any restructuring or overhaul. Another argument held by the right wing conservatives is that in being constitutional monarchy under the monarch of Great Britain we have gained many advantages such as important relations with the UK and other Commonwealth countries, these relations have allowed us to become the functional, strong and independent country we are today. Another argument held by the monarchists is that the cost of changing to a republic would be astronomically high. The previous expenses spent to run the 1999 referendums which was $87.5 million as well as the estimated costs of changing references to the monarchy in government stationary, letter-headers, logos, etc are estimated to go into the billions of dollars. Expenditure of this magnitude is currently not viable considering the

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.

Federations work best when the roles and responsibilities of each jurisdiction are clear and good public accountability mechanisms allow the community to hold the appropriate level of government to account for the quality and efficiency of the services delivered and outcomes

There are several similarities contained within the preambles of the Australian and United States constitutions. Immediately, they both tell of the people and their states which will be affected and governed by the constitution which follows. Next, they say they have agreed to come together to create a union of some form. In addition, they both end the opening of the

The political system used within Australia should be that of an aristocracy. This is superior to that of the democratic society we live. Today I shall be discussing what an aristocracy is and why it is superior to other political systems. Some issues being addressed are the values of equality, despite the classes within an aristocracy and the rights for the upper class or rulers of their society to be just and uphold the idea of society as a whole opposed to that of a democracy where individuals are favoured. This is followed by the cons of the other political systems and lastly the military and defence, which is presented in an aristocratic society.

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.

The movement from a British colony to the independent and proud nation of Australia took place at the turn of the 20th century. This was not a quick change and it was not a result of one singular factor or event. Many factors and events contributed to the Federation of Australia in 1901. Federation was influenced by the people of the nation, and their decision and thoughts on uniting of the colonies. Before Federation, the colonies of Australia were not one country. They had different railways, different defence forces and even identities. Federation meant that the colonies of Australia – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia – would unite into one country. They would have the same currency, government and identity. Federation was a major turning point in Australian history,

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

On January 1st 1901, the commonwealth of Australia was born when the six separate states united under a single federal constitution. Sir Henry Parkes first voiced the need for a united defense of the Australian continent in his Tenterfield oration in 1889. Prior to his speech, the proposal was considered unpopular as each colony had their own characteristics and traditions independant from the rest of Australia. However with issues such as transportation and communication growing, many people understood that a federation be more beneficial towards these matters. With the threatening approach with other countries growing, politicians and high ranked defense officers ,now recognized as the most important figures in Australian history, realised

On January 1 1901 Australia became a federated nation after calls from each of the colonies to become a united nation. In the mid 1800’s many colonies were founded and created their own legal systems that wasn’t under control from England. Even though they had their own independent legal systems the Monarch was still the head of state for all of the colonies.

     Australia’s form of government has been described as a constitutional monarchy, in which the queen of England is the nominal head of state. In the federal government, power rests with the elected political party that holds the majority in the House of Representatives. The leader is the prime minister. The Senate consists of 76 members who are elected every six years. The House of Representatives has 147 members and they face elections every three years. Any laws that involve changes to the Constitution must be decided by a referendum in which the country’s citizens are called to vote on whether or not they want such changes to take place.

The piece Advance Australia … within reason, was conveyed on the 5th of January by Amy Mackintosh, at the annual “University of Students for Youth Political Activism’ meeting held at The University of Melbourne. Mackintosh steadily argues the reasons why Australia should not have become a republic, and how the country should stay as a monarchy. The tone of the speech is very colloquial and even sarcastic, with the middle part being more analytical and serious. The speaker gives the impression that the argument for Australia to stay as a Monarchy is unbiased and logical.