What is the date of Independence Day of Australia?

Answer 1

Australia does not have an "Independence Day".

Australia's national day of celebration is Australia Day, January 26 of every year. This is not, however, an "Independence Day" celebration, as it does not celebrate Australia's independence from Great Britain. It merely celebrates the arrival of the first Europeans to settle on Australian shores.

The closest Australia has come to an "Independence Day" is Federation, when the six states came together as one federated nation, under an Australian Prime Minister. This date is not celebrated annually, nor was it the day Australia became independent. Australia was a self-governing colony (refer to section 8 in the preamble to the Australian Constitution). Note that Australian Troops returned from WWI in 1919 on British passports.

As a British Colony and later a British Dominion Australia gradually gained more and more autonomy. The Statute of Westminster (1931) was not a proclamation of independence either. The Commonwealth and the states were still subject to a higher power in varying degrees, again not to mention the fact that Australian Troops returned from WWII in 1946 on British Passports.

Australia did not achieve full independent Sovereignty until 3 March 1986, when the Australia Acts came into effect, terminating all British jurisdiction over Australia. As stated by the Chief Justice of the Australian high court in 1992: "The Australia Act 1986 (UK) marked the end of the legal sovereignty of the Imperial Parliament and recognised that ultimate sovereignty resided in the Australian people".