Why did some people disagree with federation?

Answer 1

At the end of the 1800s, a large number of people still held strongly to English traditions. There was fear of losing those ties with "Mother England".
Another concern, particularly for Western Australia, was that the state would not gain any of the trade benefits available to the eastern states, being so far away. Western Australia initially did not wish to federate because the state was guided by Premier and former explorer John Forrest, who held back on the agreement because he wanted to ensure the economic security of the state, given its distance from the more highly populated eastern states. Forrest believed that Western Australia's very distance from the rest of Australia's states would mean it would miss out on many of the trade benefits the eastern states would enjoy. Western Australia itself was divided over whether or not it should federate, as the people of Albany wanted to be included as part of South Australia, rather than aligning themselves with Perth and Fremantle.