A study by Professor Glenn Withers of ANU, published in Australia's Federal Future, which compared federal and unitary OECD countries over a period of 50 years, showed that the federal countries economically out-performed unitary countries, and that the greater the level of decentralization within the federation, the better it performed. He was one of the nine children of William Barton and Mary Louise Whydah, English immigrants who arrived in Australia in . A strong argument in favour of Federation was the abolition of trade barriers between the colonies. Farming, the timber industry and shipping were also strong. Finally Western Australia's referendum decided to go In 1901, in Sydney's Centennial Park the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed a Federation with six states (the Northern Territory and the ACT would come along a few years later). It was also the first time in the world that a national constitution had been submitted to the people's vote. The federation of the colonies had occurred less than two decades before, but it is supposedly the blood sacrifice of war that melded what were still quasi-colonies into a nation in the emotional . The Bridgehead Economy, 1788-1820. Entering the war in 1914 via… For their part, the people of the Northern Territory felt . This was then sent back to the colonial parliaments for approval. At the end of the 19th century, Australian colonies had concerns about who was migrating to Australia. It would also interrupt football matches, we just couldn't let that happen now could we? According to The Argus, the Prime Minister permitted the six men to land in Australia only after an inquiry into the incident had been conducted.For information on the 'Six Hatters' incident, see 'The "Six . Federation would remove these tariffs and . This unit examines the impact of Australia's Federation and Constitution on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, cultures and history. The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia.The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament following a bi-partisan appointment model which had been approved by a half-elected, half-appointed Constitutional Convention held in Canberra in February 1998. The Immigration Restriction Act was one of the first Commonwealth laws passed after Federation. The intention to seek this approval through referendums was established at the Corowa people's convention in 1893. The description 'bridgehead economy' was used by one of Australia's foremost economic historians, N. G. Butlin to refer to the earliest decades of British occupation when the colony was essentially a penal institution. Answered 9 years ago A federal system of government is one in which the subnational units are autonomous, meaning that they have certain powers and prerogatives that cannot be taken away by the central government (and, by implication, that they cannot be unilaterally dissolved or amalgamated by the central government). Oh, did anybody tell you that Australia was federated in 1901? The neck chains were used well up until the 1960's and only used on our people. As an Animals Australia member, you'll be supporting our life-changing campaigns and groundbreaking investigations. Economically, the colony was on a sound footing from the 1850s. Miso Madarac Therefore, shortly after the Commonwealth of Australia was created in 1901, the new federal Parliament introduced the Immigration Restriction Act. What is federation?Federation is a form of government in which powers and functions are divided between a central government and a number of political subdivisions that have a significant degree of political autonomy. The Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes, had announced in 1889 that the time had come to form a national parliament and government. There were many who did not agree, but by 1891 there was a convention held in Sydney to write a federal constitution. It could be argued that Australia becoming a Federation was a stupid thing to do but most people agree that it was a great idea. Those who supported it were known as 'Billites', those who campaigned against it as 'anti-Billites'. PROS CONS Summary 6 Colonies Given that there were more advantages to a federated country the colonies agreed to the changes. There are plenty of reasons not to care, but there are plenty of reasons to care and that's why Australia should not become a republic. Arguments against conscription included: -It was an unjust war and conscription was an unjust policy. Each colony had its own characteristics that might be lost after Federation. The Tenterfield Oration is significant because, although politicians had been discussing Federation for some time, this was the first time the general public was asked to support the idea. Cultural tensions were evident, and anti-Chinese riots took place in 1861. the economic and political reasons behind Australia's mass immigration policies following World War II were as follows. Historical Concepts and Skills. On 24 October 1889 Henry Parkes, then Premier of New South Wales, gave a speech at the Tenterfield School of Arts. On 1 January 1901, the six existing self-governing British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, came together in union to create the Commonwealth of Australia. They also pointed out that a single Australian nation could have one large defence force, which would be better able to protect the continent than six small defence forces. There were a number of reasons for Western Australia's leaders to be uncertain about Federation. With a rise in the number of migrants from China and the Pacific, many colonies passed tough immigration legislation. About the White Australia policy. In the speech he argued that the Australian colonies should federate (unite) into one nation. Immigration policy subsequently limited non-white migration, and the so-called "White Australia" policy (which acted mainly against Asian and Far-Eastern migrants) continued until the 1970s. The task involved extracting arguments for and against federation and then recording this information in a teacher-provided table. VCHHC083. Although the 6% turnout for the referendum was lower than for an election, it compared favourably with the referendum turnout in the . History. VCHHC083. The 1891 Constitutional Convention agreed that before proceeding with Federation, the Constitution for governing the new nation should have 'the approval of the people'. Arguments against federation While there was growing support for federation, there were also concerns within the colonies which created a lot of debate. Level 5. This website has lists of arguments for and against Federation. The first reason that they were involved in the first war is because of Australia's mother country (Britain). One the reasons, which delayed the federation, was the 90% of the people in the colonies were of British origin. The Bridge, Pipe Dreams, and A Wire Through the Heart, combine rare archival images with dramatic storytelling in . Curriculum Australian Curriculum Categories Victorian Curriculum ACHASSK134 Key figures, events and ideas that led to Australia's Federation and Constitution Humanities and Social Sciences HASS All of these images are from after 1901 when Australia became a nation. Year 6. Identify the origin, content features and the purpose of historical sources and describe the context of these sources when explaining daily life in colonial Australia, reasons for migration and causes and effects of Federation. Federation would be expensive to achieve and a federated country would be expensive to run. As NSW and Victoria were the most populated and powerful colonies, there was concern that they would have more control. Knowledge and Understanding. - An absence of men would see women and non-European men entering the workforce, causing wages to fall and worsening work conditions. (65) The main arguments for a Bill of Rights are that: Australian law affords inadequate protection to fundamental freedoms; it would give recognition to certain universal rights This soon slowed in the early 20 th century following Australia's federation. Visit the National Library of Australia to read about some of the leading people involved in Federation. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (White Australia Policy) was . The Humanities. Yes or no to federation: the referendum campaigns. The 1890s were a testing time throughout the eastern Australian colonies. The states . The fact of the matter is a new government means higher taxes for the working class and the need to duplicate politicians to fill more spaces. Since Australia began to colonize in 1788, indigenous possession started under the sovereignty of the crown. The monarch of England was named as the head of state for Australia and was to be represented in Australia by a Governor General. People involved in Federation Many people around Australia were involved in Federation movement. Originally Answered: What are the 3 reasons why Australia was not federated? All the colonies already had parliaments of their own. It was the unification of Australian colonies which formed the commonwealth of Australia on 1st January 1901. There was support for the idea in official circles in Britain, especially after the Canadian colonies federated in 1867. Referendums asking people to say 'yes' or 'no' to the proposed Australian Constitution were held in each of the Australian colonies between 1898 and 1900. All were committed to having a united Australia. Use this Australian History teaching resource in the classroom when exploring the reasons for and against Australian Federation in the nineteenth century. The Constitution is one of the Commonwealth of Australia's founding documents. At the time, a period of 'protectionism' was in full swing, having begun in the late 1890s. Although 66% of population of New South Wales now lived in urban centres, the economy was heavily dependent on agricultural exports. When the first proposals for Federation were made in the 1840s and 1850s, South Australia was the strongest opponent. This was the reason why the rights of aboriginal Australia people were not protected because their land was becoming into the crown land. " The anti-Chinese movements were caused by economic factors rather than racial factors, commencing in the opposition to further transportation of convicts in the 1830s and 1840s." Takao Fujikawa - Japanese researcher into the White Australia Policy. After many years of debate and drafting, it was passed by the British Parliament, and given royal assent (approval by the Queen), in July 1900. There are plenty of reasons not to care, but there are plenty of reasons to care and that's why Australia should not become a republic. During the second half of the nineteenth century certain foreign Powers had taken an interest in the islands of the Pacific that was . Neck chains were used while Aboriginal men were marched from their homelands into prisons, concentration camps known as missions and lock hospitals or forced into slavery. Arguments For and Against. All in all, these tariffs restricted trade and movement across borders. The first practical step towards federation was the creation of the Federal Council of Australasia in 1885. Some people had patriotic feelings towards their own colony and negative feelings towards others. Reasons For and Against Federation. Students will examine key dates and people that led to Australia's Federation. In the following years, he attended a series of conferences and conventions regarding Federation. Barton had worked on Federation for 10 years, and became Australia's first Prime Minister because the supporters of Federation trusted him. The discovery of gold in the early 1890s led to rapid growth in the colony's population and wealth. The Australian Republican Movement held a referendum in 1999, and 55 per cent voted against Australia becoming a republic that would be headed by a president and cut ties with the British crown and the Westminster system. History. It was feared that Federation would interfere with beer production and consumption especially consumption. Arguments against Federation. The main settlements were at Port Jackson (modern Sydney, 1788) in New South Wales and . Federal leagues, clubs and societies were formed from the 1890s to advocate for Federation. You'll be the reason we can be where animals need us most. Sir Edmund Barton was declared Australia's first Prime Minister. This was what was known as Federation and was the culmination of a decades-long push by various individuals and associations. This provided money to support its development. The Humanities. Learn more about the people and the lead up to Federation in this Behind the News video of kids (5 mins). Voters throughout the colonies voted in two referendums on whether to join together in a federation of states. Most people in Western Australia voted against the Federation. Join us to stand up against cruelty and injustice . South Australia had a succession of Premiers during that period, including Playford, Holder, Downer and Kingston. The assimilation policy was a …show more content… This presented South Australia with a debt of £350,000 by 1895. The Australian Constitution was put to voters as the Commonwealth Constitution Bill. Why Australia became involved in WW1 They became involved in august 1914 because Britain was preparing to declare war on Germany. 1890S led to rapid growth in the number of migrants from China and the convict taint of the Commonwealth Bill. 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