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Where was the national apology held?
The National Apology by Kevin Rudd was held in Canberra, ACT Australia.
Is Australia still tied to Britain's legal and political systems?
Yes and no.The last real legal and/or political tie to Britain was severed on 3 March 1986, when the Australia Acts came into effect. The Australia Acts declared that Australia had the status of a Sovereign, Independent and Federal Nation.The nation still retains Elizabeth II as head of state, but her position as Australia's head of state is a completely separate position from her position as the head of state of any other country, including the UK. What the Australia Act effectively did was remove the ability of the British Government to make laws for Australia and removed the last legal link with the UK by abolishing the right of appeal to the judicial committee of the Privy Council.Some might say Australia is still on a path to independence as we are still technically ruled by the British monarchy, even though that monarchy does not have any right to interfere with Australian laws. Currently, Australia chooses to remain in the Commonwealth. It has not yet elected to go down the path of republicanism.
Is Australia under British rule?
Australia is no longer a British colony, but it was originally established as one, when it was the colony of New South Wales. Australia was never a single British colony, but rather six separate colonies. These colonies became states which federated in 1901, coming together as the Commonwealth of Australia.
How did Great Britain's Government lose Australia?
Australia became a separate nation in 1901. It is still part of the British Commonwealth. The Union Jack is still on the national flag and some state flags. Queen Elizabeth II is still the Monarch and appears on Australian coinage and some banknotes. The Queen's Regal & Vice-Regal representatives in Australia are the Governor-General and the various States-Governor. The Referendum on a proposed Australian Republic some years ago was defeated by a majority vote favouring a continuation of the current Westminster-style constitutional/parliamentary democracy.The gold rush brought new wealth to Australia, and started the movement that eventually led to Federation.On 1 January 1901 (not 1949), federation of the colonies was achieved and the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed by Australia's first Governor-General, John Hope, at Centennial Park in Sydney. Australia's first Prime Minister was Edmund Barton, who was Prime Minister from January 1901 to September 1903. This gave Australia the right to govern itself, but it was not yet completely independent.Although the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia came into effect at Federation, this did not mean that Australia was now independent of Britain. When the UK approved colonial federation, it simply meant that the six self-governing states of Australia allocated some functions to a federal authority. Australia gained the status of a Dominion, which meant it remained a self-governing colony within the British Empire, with the Head of State being the British monarch. The British government appointed Australia's Governor-General and State Governors, who answered to the British government.All Dominions within the British Empire were declared "equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations" at the Imperial Conference of 1926. The Statute of Westminster 1931 ratified the discussions of the Imperial Conference. This meant that Australia and other Dominions such as South Africa, New Zealand and Canada could now conduct treaties and agreements with foreign powers, and manage their own military strategies. No longer were the Australian Governor-General, Parliament and individual governors answerable to the UK. The British monarch could only act on the advice of the Australian Government, and the Governor-General was no longer appointed by and answerable to the British monarch.The defeat of the large British garrison at Singapore in January 1942 came as a very unwelcome shock to the Australian government. It exposed the weakness of Britain and led Australia to seek much closer ties with the US and it was felt that for this the country needed full independence; hence the date for activating the 1931 Statute of Westminster. Australian Parliament formally adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931 under the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, on 9 October 1942.Australia reached the next stage of independence on 3 March 1986, when the Australia Acts came into effect. The Australia Acts declared that Australia had the status of a Sovereign, Independent and Federal Nation. The nation still retains Elizabeth II as head of state, but her position as Australia's head of state is a completely separate position from her position as the head of state of any other country, including the UK. What the Australia Act effectively did was remove the ability of the British Government to make laws for Australia and removed the last legal link with the UK by abolishing the right of appeal to the judicial committee of the Privy Council. Also it was not until 1988 that the last state, Queensland, removed this from their statutes as well.Some might say Australia is still on a path to independence as we are still technically ruled by the British monarchy, even though that monarchy does not have any right to interfere with Australian laws. There will always be those who disagree with the above, as it could be said that Australia received independence in varying degrees.
Why did Britain pass the Statute of Westminster in 1931 and what groups in Canada and Britain supported this act?
After World War I, Canada and other Commonwealth countries felt the need for more independence. The Statute of Westminster was part of the process to grant full independence to many of the Commonwealth states. There was discussion between provincial governments of Canada vs. the federal government of Canada about the effect of The Statute of Westminster on the Canadian Constitution.
