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Why Did Federation Occur In Australia In The 19th Century

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In the mid 1800’s, Australia was divided into six relatively independent British colonies which, despite similar cultural beliefs and backgrounds, all acted as separate countries. Each colony had established its own legal system (though the Monarch was the head of state for each colony) which had evolved from and was heavily influenced by the British system. When the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove in 1788, they brought with them English law which was implemented in early settler times. This action in conjecture with the British background of the colonies led to early Australian law closely mimicking that of Mother England.
Reasons For Federation
In the latter half of the 19th century, momentum for the colonies to federate into a single nation increased. There were a significant number of reasons in favour of federating, though there were six main areas which ultimately led to the decision to federate:
Defence
A major reason for federation was to create an adequate army in case of attack. Prior to federation, …show more content…

Went on to become Australia’s first prime minister.
Charles Kingston – The South Australian Premier whom was a strong supporter of federation and a radical liberal.
The conference ended up agreeing to follow the American model of law and the first draft of the Constitution that was prepared was very similar to the final result.
The Second National Australasian Convention was held in March 1897. Adelaide hosted the first session of the convention during March and April in SA’s Parliament. During the convention the Constitution draft from 1891 was further developed though Queensland did not attend the convention, due to it failing to pass the legislature needed to send delegates. There were second and third sessions of the Second National Australasian Convention held in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, before the Constitution finished drafting in March

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