How did Australia become a democracy?

Answer 1

Australia was originally set up by a democratic country, Britain. Through a series of incidents, the people in colonial Australia eventually demanded the same political rights as those that the British themselves had. This led to a legal system that was similar to that in Britain and a system of governmental regulation that was also built along the lines of the British system. As Australia became more independent from Britain it also took with it the responsibility's of self determination.

A crucial element in the development of democracy in Australia was the Eureka Stockade, led by Peter Lalor, an Irish immigrant who joined the gold rush, working the goldfields in Ballarat. Due to the deplorable conditions on the goldfields, and the lack of miners' rights and representation in government, Lalor was unofficially "elected" on 30 November 1854 to be a more militant leader and voice for the diggers. Lalor led the rebellion that later became known as the Eureka Stockade, in which the diggers stood against the ridiculous and unfair mining licence fees and licence checks. After this event, Lalor won political representation for miners on the goldfields, which led to far better conditions in the Gold towns. Lalor provided the catalyst that led to the development of Australian democracy.