The first time all four colonies voted 'yes' but the vote was not high enough in NSW to satisfy the level set by the parliament. As a result, some changes were made to the proposed constitution and the vote was taken again. This time, the NSW 'yes' vote was high enough and the referendum was put to voters in Queensland and Western Australia, who also voted 'yes'.
Some of the delegates then had to take the draft constitution to London, so that it could be passed by the British Parliament. After some debate and argument in London it was passed. As it happened, Western Australia was not mentioned in the preamble to this Act, because Western Australia voted later than the other colonies and was too late to be included.
One of the big issues about Federation concerned trade. People found it annoying that they had to pay customs duties to take goods over the borders between colonies.
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It was attended by delegates from each of the colonies and the New Zealand Parliament. During the convention, Edmund Barton—who became the first Prime Minister of Australia—coined the catchcry 'a nation for a continent and a continent for a nation'.
The convention spent 5 weeks discussing and writing a draft constitution, which became the basis for the constitution we have today. Queensland Premier Sir Samuel Griffith is largely credited with drafting the constitution approved by the convention. However, his draft constitution was based on a version written by Tasmanian delegate Andrew Inglis Clark.
Clark was inspired by the federal model of the United States, which, like Australia, faced the challenge of bringing together self-governing colonies as a nation. Under the draft constitution the colonies would unite as separate states within the Commonwealth, with power shared between a federal—national—Parliament and state parliaments.
This would give Australia a federal system of government. The convention delegates took the draft constitution back to their colonial parliaments for consideration and approval. Faced with an economic depression, the parliaments lost enthusiasm for Federation. Federation's greatest champion, Parkes, retired from politics and following New South Wales governments did not share his passion for Federation.
While the colonial parliaments put the issue of Federation to one side, it had fired the public's imagination. In a people's conference was held in Corowa, New South Wales, which agreed 'the best interests, present and future prosperity of the Australian colonies will be promoted by their early Federation'.
At a special premiers' conference held in Hobart in most of the colonies agreed to Quick's proposal. Queensland, fearing Federation might mean the loss of its Pacific Islander labour force, decided not to take part. By this stage, New Zealand had decided not to be part of the Federation process. The following year the Bathurst Federation League, frustrated by the inaction of the colonial parliaments, held a second people's conference at which over delegates renewed calls for a new Federation convention.
Sir Henry Parkes looks on. The second National Australasian Convention met 3 times during and in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, and used the draft constitution as a starting point for discussions.
Elected and appointed representatives from all the colonies except Queensland took part in the convention. One of the most significant changes made to the draft constitution related to the Senate. Senators would be directly elected by the people of each state instead of being selected by state parliaments.
The new draft also set the number of members of the House of Representatives as roughly twice the number of senators. Because the Senate and House of Representatives would have almost the same law-making powers, the delegates realised a way to break deadlocks between the 2 houses was needed. They decided disagreements could be resolved by dissolving—closing—both houses of Parliament and calling an election.
The newly elected Parliament could then vote on the issue. If this failed to break the deadlock, it could be put to a vote in a joint sitting of both houses. The convention also agreed to a proposal by Tasmanian Premier Sir Edward Braddon to return to the states three-quarters of the customs and excise tariffs collected by the federal government. On 16 March the convention agreed to the draft constitution. After being agreed by the colonial parliaments, the people of each of the 6 colonies were then asked to approve the constitution in referendums.
Many people around Australia were involved in Federation movement. Federal leagues, clubs and societies were formed from the s to advocate for Federation. Press reports of the conventions were eagerly read and helped build popular support for Federation. Many women were involved in the Federation movement. Women began their own Federal Leagues, in part to try and win the right to vote in the new nation. Women had only won the right to vote in South Australia in Australia was the first nation to take a proposed constitution to the people for approval.
Switzerland had held a referendum to approve changes to its constitution in Enthusiastic campaigns were waged urging people to vote 'yes' or 'no'. Anti-Federation groups argued Federation would weaken the colonial parliaments and interstate free trade would lead to lower wages and a loss of jobs. New South Wales Premier George Reid publicly criticised the proposed constitution but said he would vote for it in the referendum, earning him the nickname 'Yes-No Reid'.
The referendum was passed in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Although a majority of voters in New South Wales voted 'yes' in the referendum, it did not attract the 80 'yes' votes set by the New South Wales colonial parliament as the minimum needed for it to agree to Federation. Tuesday June 20 was a red-letter day in Australian history.
It was the day on which the people of New South Wales — the best and wealthiest of the Australian Colonies — had to decide whether they were willing to accept the Federation Bill … A very large vote was recorded all over the colony, and a majority of … electors decided that Federation under the Bill was desirable.
Enormous crowds thronged the Sydney streets on Tuesday evening to get the earliest news of the voting, and as the returns came in there was loud and long continued cheering. A brief history of Australia's journey to Federation, in live-sketch animation, as told by historian David Hunt. Australia in the late 19th century consisted of six self-governing British colonies that were subject to the British Parliament.
Each colony had its own — often quite distinct — laws, railway gauge, postage stamps and tariffs. Problems caused by these differences led to discussions about the benefits of uniting as a nation, under a federal system of governance. The colonies of New Zealand and Fiji were also part of Federation discussions. In addition, matters of defence, foreign policy, immigration, trade, transport and national pride were growing in importance among the colonies.
This provided most of the organisational and financial base for a number of Federation leagues, which formed later to work towards a united Australia. The Federal Council of Australasia was formed in to resolve intercolonial issues, including customs duties and defence. It also called for an Australasian convention where parliamentary representatives from the colonies would develop a constitution which would provide for a federal government and a federal parliament:.
The opportunity has arisen for the consideration of this great subject and I believe that the time is at hand … when this thing will be done. Indeed, this great thing will have to be done, and to put it off will only tend to make the difficulties which stand in the way greater.
Samuel Griffiths, the then Premier of Queensland, is credited with writing the draft constitution, but it was based on a version written by Tasmanian delegate Andrew Inglis Clark. Delegates were in a position to present a draft Constitution Bill to their respective parliaments.
However, the process of Federation was stalled by the economic depression of the s, with its high levels of unemployment and strikes. NSW parliamentarian Edmund Barton became the de facto leader of the federation campaign following the death of Parkes in At the convention, the basic principles of Federation — such as the idea of responsible government and the balancing of state and federal powers — were agreed upon.
A Constitution Bill was drafted in
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