Federation
At the end of the 1800s, Australia was divided into six separate colonies instead of being one nation. But people had been talking for years about whether Australia should be one nation, and in the 1890s a series of meetings (called conventions or conferences) was held to discuss federation of the colonies. 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. This was then sent back to the colonial parliaments for approval. But at the same time, Parkes was losing the leadership of NSW and the issue of federation was no longer a top priority. Without the largest colony, the others could not proceed towards federation. In 1893, a conference was held in Corowa on the Murray River and attended by politicians from NSW and Victoria, business representatives from Melbourne and people from Victorian branches of the Australian Natives Association, an organisation which wanted federation. John Quick, a lawyer from Bendigo, suggested that the whole process should start ag
By convention, however, the Governor-General acts only on the advice of Ministers in virtually all matters and the appointee to the office is selected on the advice of the Government. Under the federal Constitution, State Governments are responsible for powers not administered by the Federal Government. Normally, Senators serve a six-year term with half the Senate retiring every three years. They were concerned with the social and political changes necessary to provide a more equitable society. Federation would be expensive to achieve and a federated country would be expensive to run. New South Wales and Victoria, as the two largest colonies, were jealous of each other. Germany and France had colonies in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands and could pose a threat. But it was resolved by leaving the issue to be decided after Federation had taken place. Popular writers such as Henry Lawson were writing about Australia as a land and nation made by the struggles of ordinary people. This draft constitution was then put to the people at referendums. People in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania voted twice. In 1894 South Australian Women were granted the right to vote followed by Western Australia in 1899, NSW in 1902 and finally Victoria in 1908. Such a cricket team in 1877 had beaten England in a Test match. Customs duties hindered trade between the colonies. The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed on 1 January 1901 at a ceremony at Centennial Park in Sydney.
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Acceptance Essays
