Essay On Australian Federation

Defense was an issue raised from the 1880s onward. Each colony had its own independent defense force but their forces were not the most powerful. As a result, they mainly relied on Britain's navy for protection which is not very ethical for a country. However, many believed that a united Australia could support the overall fortification of Australia.

Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Now, Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels.

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,

To introduce, Australia was country solely owned and run by Britian until 1901, the year of Australian federation, from 6 separate self-governing colonies to one, on the 26th day of January 1901. ’While Federation was not perfect, it was a system (of both laws and beliefs) that enabled Australia to flourish.’ The question itself represents the states coming together as one uniting nation. The laws, the beliefs, the privileges and the embellishment of the phrase gives you a sense of welcoming into the history of Australian federation.

Where there are problems, they are often with the way the Australian federal system operates, rather than with federalism itself. Rather than criticising our federal system, we should be working to make better use of its advantages
in order to improve our prosperity. In particular, the reform of the allocation of powers and responsibilities between the Commonwealth and the States, and reform of fiscal federalism, are desperately needed. (Twomey and Withers, 2007)

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.

Federation started in 1880 with six British colonies, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. With 3 million people in each colony. These colonies were separated and had little to

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

In 1901 Australia was a part of a Federation between six colonies which British Parliament passed legislation and Australia joined as part of the Commonwealth. Which paved the way for Australia to be recognised by the World.

The Australian Legal System was around the 1700’s when Britain brought its own legal system over when they were setting up the colonies in Australia. Over a century or so Britain began granting limited rights to set up a local legal system within the British colonies. They were granted this right, and were able to develop their own laws and legal systems. The passing of the Australian Constitution began an independent legal system that formed part of the governmental system in Australia, which took place in 1901, and while the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia was indeed an Act of the British Parliament, Britain's involvement in the Australian Government begun to decrease. However, there was minor propulsion for Australia to procure

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.

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

Before 1901, Australia was not a nation. At the time the continent consisted of six colonies. Those colonies were the six states we have today, (this does not include the two territories of Australia). Each colony had its own laws and rules including it’s own railway system, postage and taxes. This caused a lot of commotion and problems which made people consider the benefits of uniting as one nation, under a federal system of governance.

The “Australia transitioning into a republic” issue has resurfaced in recent years because the opinion is right. There is an inherent conflict between Australia's stated values and its structure. We claim to appreciate equality but allow our head of state to be decided through hereditary title. We function as a democracy but automatically surrender the highest position of legitimate honour to an unelected European monarch. Australia has earned her right to stand alone as a fully independent democracy; we have our own identity within the world.

Australians had an immense amount of pride for their country and among those popular beliefs were that the British Empire was superior to other races. Most of the Australian population was English descendant. Australia