Australian Confederation Proclaimed

This series has two easy 5-minute installments. This first installment: The Australian Commonwealth.

Introduction
It has always been a question with geographers whether to class Australia as an island or as a continent, some arguing that it is too small for the one, and others that it is too large for the other. However, that may be, its isolated situation has almost constituted it a world by itself. It used to be thought of mainly as a penal colony, and “Botany Bay” was a term of reproach but since the discovery of gold in 1851, the desirable growth of the habitable portion has been rapid and steady, while the establishment of lines of swift steamships and the laying of ocean cables have taken the point out of Charles Lamb’s famous essay on Distant Correspondents. These facilities for communication, perhaps more than anything else -— more even than racial customs and traditions -— have served to keep those colonies in willing subjection to the British Empire. They are virtually nearer to England today than were the revolted American colonies in 1776. Though a great part of Australia is a desert -— probably irreclaimable — there is enough of the remainder to sustain a very large and prosperous population; and it can hardly be doubted that the confederation will tend to increase immigration and foster every kind of legitimate business. That the Australians should still consider it necessary that their chief magistrate be sent to them from the other side of the world is only another instance of the force of tradition and precedent.

This selection is from Australasia Old and New by J. Grattan Grey published in 1901. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Time: January 1, 1901
Place: Sydney

Although little more than a decade had passed since the movement for the federation of the Australasian colonies was taken seriously by the public men and people generally of Australia, it must not be supposed that the idea was not entertained at a very much earlier period of Australian history. Indeed, as early as 1857 a select committee of the Legislative Council of New South Wales recommended that a meeting should be held of delegates from the Legislatures of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, with a view of devising a plan for a general assembly for all the colonies, which should deal with all matters of federal importance and concern. It unfortunately happened, however, that very little attention was paid to this recommendation, because the council that promulgated it accompanied it with a proposal to establish a hereditary aristocracy. This proposal brought the council into very bad odor with the public, who, while they laughed the hereditary nobility idea to scorn, allowed the federation question practically to lapse altogether. From that period up to the ‘seventies it remained almost entirely forgotten, and its revival was due to Sir Henry Parkes. At first Australian federation met with little encouragement; generally speaking, its advocates were subjected to a great deal of ridicule; they were called dreamers, and “faderation” was the nickname applied to the project, its advocates being called “faderationists.” This ridicule did not dishearten those who had embraced the faith of a united Australia, and the movement derived a great impetus from a very able speech in support of Australian federation which was delivered by Sir Hercules Robinson, then Governor of New South Wales, at the border town of Albury, in 1876. From that time the movement took practical shape, and its supporters pushed the question to the forefront of Australian politics. They had still to work for ten years before they could succeed in bringing their agitation to a state in which the various colonies interested could be induced to take united action. The British Parliament passed an act providing for the formation of a federal council, and in January, 1886, the first meeting of the federal council was held at Hobart, Tasmania. Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Fiji sent delegates to this Federal Council. Strange to say, the colony that gave birth to the idea of federation (New South Wales) was unrepresented, and New Zealand and South Australia also declined to join in deliberations of the first Federal Council, but South Australia sent representatives to the council at a subsequent period.

The greatest advance toward federation was made at the conference that assembled in Melbourne in 1890, under the presidency of Sir Henry Parkes. Resolutions were passed affirming the desirableness of an early union of the Australian colonies on principles just to all; that the remoter Australasian colonies should be entitled to admission upon terms to be afterward agreed upon; and that steps should be taken for the appointment of delegates to a national Australasian convention to consider and report upon an adequate scheme for a federal constitution. Accordingly, on March 2, 1891, the National Australasian Convention, consisting of delegates appointed by the various colonies, assembled at Sydney, under the presidency of Sir Henry Parkes. This convention was representative of all the colonies in the Australasian group, and one of the first delegates sent by New Zealand was the late Sir George Grey. At this convention a series of resolutions was offered, and these, after discussion and amendment, were adopted in the following form, affirming:

1. The powers and rights of existing colonies to remain intact, except as regards such powers as it may be necessary to hand over to the Federal Government;
2. No alteration to be made in States without the consent of the Legislatures of such States, as well as of the Federal Parliament;
3. Trade between the federated colonies to be absolutely free; Power to impose customs and excise duties to be in the Federal Government and Parliament;
4. Military and naval defense forces to be under one command;
5. The Federal Constitution to make provision to enable each State to make amendments in its constitution if necessary, for the purposes of federation.

Further resolutions were passed for the framing of a federal constitution that should establish a senate and a house of representatives, the latter to possess the sole power of originating money bills; also, a federal supreme court of appeal, and an executive consisting of a governor-general with such persons as might be appointed as his advisers.

One would have supposed that when the movement had progressed so far as this, the federation of the colonies was close at hand, but no action was taken by Parliament to give effect to the resolutions of the Sydney Convention. The apathy evinced upon the subject was most surprising, and for three or four years the federal movement remained practically in abeyance. Ultimately Mr. G. H. Reid, the Premier of New South Wales, came to its rescue, and to that gentleman’s action must be attributed the successful march of federation from 1894. At his invitation the Premiers of the other colonies met in conference at Hobart in 1895. All the Australasian colonies were represented at this conference except New Zealand, which had withdrawn from the federation movement at an early period, and has ever since maintained a policy of isolation in regard to it. At this Hobart Conference of 1895 it was decided to ask the Parliament of each colony to pass a bill enabling the electors who were qualified to vote for mem bers of the lower house in each colony to choose ten persons to represent the colony in a federal convention, whose work would be the framing of a federal constitution to be submitted to the people for approval. It was this thoroughly democratic principle in Mr. Reid’s scheme that led to such satisfactory results. In 1896 what were called enabling acts to give effect to Mr. Reid’s proposals were passed by New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania; and Queensland eventually joined. All the colonial Parliaments except that of Western Australia passed these enabling bills, and by the referendum the Federal Constitution was adopted by large majorities in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. Western Australia held aloof for some time, but at the eleventh hour its Parliament passed the Enabling Bill, and the referendum gave the electors’ sanction to it by a large majority.

Consequently, the whole continent of Australia and the island of Tasmania are now comprised within the Australian Commonwealth.

New Zealanders are beginning to see that the Common wealth’s tariff may seriously affect their interests, more especially as the producers of that colony have hitherto had a very large trade with New South Wales, Victoria, and other portions of the continent. Under the circumstances, the Federal Parliament expected to frame a customs-tariff especially favorable to New Zealand, and therefore the inhabitants of that colony see, when it may be too late, that by standing aloof from the federation movement their own interests may have been seriously endangered. It was this feeling that prompted the appointment of a royal commission to inquire into the whole subject and report to Parliament at its session of 1901.

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