Why did Australia become a sovereign nation?

Answer 1

The federation of Australia in 1901 was significant because of the changes it led to in both positive and negative ways to Australia.

Border taxes were part of the Australian life before federation. This meant that people wanting to sell or trade goods had to pay a tax if they wanted to go from one state to another. This was set up so the people in one state didn't have to compete with different states' cheaper prices, making them pay taxes to sell in that state meaning that people would be more likely to buy local goods because they would be cheaper and more affordable. After federation a free trade agreement was formed meaning it didn't cost money to trade or sell goods in another state.

Before federation all of Australia was divided into colonies, every colony defended and looked after themselves making laws and regulations for only their people. The colonial governments distrusted each other and were not in favour of federation until it became apparent to them that it was essential for the future welfare of Australia. Once Australia was federated the colonies were combined and were led by the parliament system we have today.

Prior to federation the natives of New Guinea the kanakas were kidnapped and taken to Australia by the Queensland colonies to work in the Queensland sugar cane fields, the kanakas were used for slave labour so Australian shop and factory owners didn't have to pay for workers. The kanakas worked in horrible and dangerous condition until federation. After federation occurred the kanakas were no longer taken from New Guinea.

Defence was one of the major reasons for the federation of Australia, Separate colonies restricted Australia's defence prior to federation and as warfare was becoming more common to Australia people became aware that our defence needed to be strengthened, federation would make Australia's defence stronger because the separate colonies would work together to protect Australia.

Unity was one of the reasons that people chose to federate to occur in Australia. The colonial governments became more united and a sense of nationalism spread through Australia. This sense of nationalism was why many people chose to make Australia united as a federated country.

Before Federation occurred all of the colonies that resided in the continent were very separate and competitive with each other, especially Victoria and New South Wales. Although that hasn't changed on the sporting field it is a much nicer relationship than it was.

Answer 2

Federation of the Australian colonies came late and without the display of nationalism that characterized similar movements elsewhere. The idea of unification appeared as early as 1847 in proposals by Earl Grey, then the United Kingdom's Colonial Secretary. In the 1850s John Dunmore Lang, a Scottish Presbyterian cleric in New South Wales, formed the Australian League to campaign for a united Australia. Conferences among the colonial governments in the 1860s also considered closer cooperation and unification. With the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, British officials began to expect a similar effort among Australians. No plan, however, received serious attention, due to the intense rivalries among colonial societies.

Australian fears of incursion from the north by Europeans (as distinct from Britons) and Asians, first triggered during the 1850s by the Crimean War, provided the spur for the first practical step towards unification in the 1880s. In 1883 Queensland, anticipating German moves, claimed Papua on New Guinea but, unable to support this claim, had to urge Great Britain to rule the territory and to claim other islands. Concerned to improve their defence and that they might not be able to direct British policy in their interests, and also aware of the emergence of new powers in Europe, the Australian colonies created a Federal Council in 1885. However, the refusal of New South Wales to participate meant that the council was little more than a debating forum with no executive powers.

Other developments during the 1880s, however, served to reinforce the idea of unification within the wider population. Debate over the White Australia policy demonstrated the need for uniform Immigration rules. A large increase in trade union membership, especially among sheep shearers and miners, encouraged the development of centralized unions, extending across colonial boundaries. Unstable economic conditions and outright depression by 1892 reinforced this idea, and contributed to the development of labour parties which could defend worker interests. It was evident to the supporters of the labour parties, which quickly gained electoral success, that unification would permit the standardization of labour laws.

New South Wales began the movement to replace the Federal Council in 1889, when its premier, Sir Henry Parkes, announced that the colony would support a new form of federalism. A conference in Sydney in 1891 laid the basis for a constitutional convention which did not, however, meet until 1897-1898. Further disputes followed, but eventually referenda in all six colonies approved the plans for federation. The Commonwealth of Australia was accordingly approved by the British Parliament in 1900 and became a reality on January 1, 1901.

The federal constitution reflected both British and American practices-that is, parliamentary government, with Cabinets responsible to a bicameral legislature, was established, but only specifically delegated powers were given to the federal government. The new House of Representatives, like the British House of Commons, was based on popular representation, but the new Senate, like its American counterpart, preserved the representation of the colonies, which now became states. As neither Sydney nor Melbourne was an acceptable federal capital, in 1911 the Australian Capital Territory was established for a new capital, Canberra-again based on the American model of Washington, D.C.

Answer 3

Australia achieved independent sovereign nationhood status validly and legally on October 1, 1919 following the end of WW1. This most historical event came about as a result of Australia's involvement in the war. The minutes of both the House of Representatives and the Senate known as 'Hansard' dated September 10, 1919 and October 1, 1919 record in detail how & why Australia had achieved independent sovereign nationhood status for the first time, so welcomed into the family of nations by all world nations as a foundation member state of the then League of Nations. At that moment sovereignty passed from the United Kingdom to the Australian people. Why this most historical event is not taught in Australian schools and universities is difficult to understand.

Answer 4

Australia was federated on 1 January 1901, with Edmund Barton being the first Prime Minister ever in Australia.

Australia did not achieve independent sovereign nationhood status until 1919 following the end of WW1. This was different to federation of the states.

Also on 1 January 1901, Edmund Barton was sworn in as Australia's first Prime Minister, and the Earl of Hopetoun was appointed by Queen Victoria as Australia's first Governor-General.

Answer 5

Three very practical and important reasons for the colonies in Australia to federate as one nation were:

• Trade: There were steep tariffs imposed on the transport of goods across the borders of the colonies. Federation would remove these tariffs and allow for free trade between the states. This would help to improve the economy and provide for stability at a time when the colonies were experiencing an economic depression.
• Transport: There was no standard railway gauge across the country and railway lines changed at the colonial borders. Passengers had to get out at the borders and change trains, while goods also had to be moved to another train. It was believed Federation would see the introduction of uniform railway gauges across the states, but in reality this did not occur for another eighty years or so.
• Defence: Each of the states had its own defence force. Each individual state's defence force was not strong enough to protect Australia's vast coastline from attack. There were distinct advantages in uniting the defence under one command, an important consideration as the German and French presence in the Pacific increased.

Answer 6

Bear in mind that the vast interior of Australia is mostly desert and has very little population. Australia, which was formerly a British penal colony, has one predominant culture, and it works quite well as a single nation. There are no lines of division which would motivate people to have more than one.

Answer 7

With aid from many political leaders and permission from the queen, Australia went from being 5 small colonies to becoming one, united, commonwealth nation on the 01/01/01! (1901)

Answer 8

fun