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TOWARDS FEDERATION. VESTED INTERESTS AND STATES RIGHTS.
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TOWARDS FEDERATION VESTED INTERESTS AND STATES RIGHTS
“Australia's colonies did not federate in the emotional aftermath of rebellion or the fires of civil war, nor was there a Declaration of Independence or “self evident truths”, no Bill of Rights or Gettysburg Address driving the political process • Federation - when the six Australian colonies joined together under a federal system of government - was not achieved with a grand flourish of independence and nationhood but only after several national conventions and a series of complex compromises and referenda.”
HENRY PARKES • In 1889 a British report suggested that Australia was in danger from foreign threats and that the colonies needed a better defence system. Responding to this Henry Parkes made his famous “ Tenterfield Oration” calling for Federation
STEPS TO FEDERATION • In 1898 and 1899 referenda were held in all colonies. • It was not until the second referenda that a sufficient • majority was achieved The Second Commonwealth Convention was held in 1897 with representatives from all states except Queensland. The outcome was the successful completion of a Constitution. • In 1893 a People’s Convention on Federation was held at Corowa. • Dr John Quick suggested that the decision for • Federation should be decided by the people, not politicians. • This became known as the Corowa Resolution. • In 1891, the first Commonwealth Convention was held in Sydney where • seven delegates from each colony drafted a constitution.
‘Waltzing Matilda” • Nationalism: By 1901 the majority of the population was Australian-born and beginning to feel more attached to their colony or Australia than England or Ireland, the land of their forefathers. They were also starting to feel inferior to the British, particularly when they were referred to as ‘colonists’ and wanted to become an independent country which would be respected in the world. • Nationalism: The population felt they were one people, one language and one culture so should be one country rather than a series of British colonies. This was reflected in newspapers, art, poetry and songs.
Transport and communication: Travel was difficult between colonies because of different rail gauges (NSW standard, Qld narrow and Vic broad gauge used) so travellers had to change trains at borders. Federation would provide an opportunity to remedy this problem. Telephone and postal services would be better run if they were federally based rather than colonially based. The building of the telegraph line linked all capitals and overseas with almost instant communication, which led to a greater feeling of unity. • Customs and tariffs: At border crossings, as travellers changed trains, they were taxed with customs duties on goods being brought in and taxes and tariffs on goods being transported out. Sometimes they were searched by customs officers • Trade: As different colonies supported two opposing views on trade (protection or free trade), it made trade between the colonies difficult. A common policy under a federal government would make interstate trade easier and more effective, as it would remove colonial rivalry, competition, customs barriers and trade barriers and would present a united economy to trade with overseas countries
Defence: Each colony had its own small defence force. Federation would mean one united and, therefore, larger defence force, and as fear grew about Australia’s isolation, this became an important issue
Contract labour and a cheap labour force: Concern about the indentured Kanaka labour on the Qld cane fields leading to cheap labour undermining the conditions being fought for by the unions led to this issue becoming important in the lead-up to Federation. At the bottom of this argument was the desire for a White Australia for White Australians. • Immigration: Each colony had its own immigration policy and these were not always compatible. NSW and Vic had banned Chinese immigration but SA had not. A federal government could have one policy on immigration and thus control the entry of non-white races. At the bottom of this argument was the desire for a White Australia for White Australians
Distance and size were two issues which arose in opposition to nationalism, transport and communication. A united and federated Australia would be larger than the whole of Europe from Edinburgh to Istanbul. There was no unified land-based communication system (see problems with the rail system), and, despite the telegraph, transport and communication between the colonial capitals relied on the unreliable sea transport. Western Australia and Tasmania were particularly concerned about this issue as they felt the most isolated and, to some extent, ignored.
Fear of the larger colonies: WA and Tas also felt that, as the smallest colonies, their needs and desires would be ignored by the larger colonies. They already had a colonial parliament which looked after their interests so they saw no need to bother with a federal government that they could not trust to look after them, as it would be dominated by the larger colonies
Defence was also an issue for the anti-federalists who feared that the larger states would take their money but defend only the heavily populated areas of the east coast
Protection: The smaller colonies and those colonies with specialised industries such as Qld (sugar) and WA (the latest gold discoveries in 1893) were concerned about the loss of their income from trade in these resources. They were also worried that the absorption of their benefits (particularly gold at a time when the NSW and Vic goldfields were in decline) by the federal government would take away revenue from the colony.Free Trade: This was wanted by NSW as it was best for their agricultural industries to be able to specialise and trade across all colonies.
Contract labour: Qld’s whole sugar industry was reliant on the contract (really slave) labour of the Kanakas or Pacific Islanders, and the idea of their removal horrified the farmers as there was, to their mind, no alternative. The colonial government of Qld also realised that the end of the sugar industry would destroy their economic independence. • Trade unions: The unions were generally against Federation, as they believed that improving working standards and achieving social legislation was likely to be more effective at a colonial level, colony by colony, than through a federal government which could be hostile to their demands. • The cost of setting up and maintaining a federal system was an issue for all the colonies to be concerned about and is still not resolved today
HOW AND WHY DID FEDERATION OCCUR? • Despite the differences between the colonies the unifying factors proved stronger. A growing feeling of “ being Australian “, fears of external threats, and a desire for a common Immigration policy ( a White Australia ) became paramount by 1900 • As early as 1849 there had been talk of Federation. Through the efforts of pressure groups, politicians and significant individuals , organizing conventions to discuss the issues, Federations came to be a reality.
Pressure Groups • Australian Natives Association was formed in the 1870’s with the help of politicians like Henry Parkes, Alfred Deakin and Edmund Barton.
Politicians & IndividualsMembers of the Federal Conference1890
Sir Henry Parkes;“Father of Federation” • Parkes pursued with enthusiasm his dream of a united Australia, resulting in the inter-colonial conference in Melbourne in 1890. In setting forth the issues to be addressed, such as tariffs, trade and defence, in 1891 Parkes introduced conciliation and arbitration legislation-the first in the Australian colonies. Parkes made a most significant contribution to Federation. He presided over the first Federal convention held in Sydney in 1891. The draft constitution of this convention provided the basis for the next 10 years of discussion and negotiation between the Colonies. Ill health forced him to retire from proceedings • “One people with one destiny..when we shall be bound together by that crimson thread of kinship..” • Extract from the Tenterfield Oration
Oxford Street decorated in preparation for the Federation parade
Crowds gathered at the Federal Pavilion in Centennial Park for the swearing in of the First Australian Governor General
Features of the Constitution3 arms, 3 levels • It drew on elements from the United States Constitution, the British-based Canadian Constitution (the British North America Act) and the colonies’ own constitutions. • There was to be a separation of powers—the Executive, the Legislative, the Judiciary
Structure • To solve the problem of the smaller states being overwhelmed by the larger states there would be: • an Upper House (the Senate) which had equal representation from the states regardless of their size • a Lower House (the House of Representatives) to represent the people on the basis of one representative for every 30 000 citizens
Provisions • The states and their constitutions would continue to exist, individually and separately. • The federal government would be given specific powers over specified areas of government and administration (39 areas are listed in Section 51 of the Constitution). • These were generally the areas which affected the whole of Australia, such as defence, taxation, trade, communication, immigration and foreign affairs. • The political party or coalition of parties with the majority of members in the Lower House would form the government. • The remaining members would constitute the Opposition. • The governor-general (part of the Executive when combined with the prime minister) would be the head of state. • Australia is a constitutional monarchy and the official head of state is the Queen of Australia, Elizabeth II of Great Britain. • In her absence the governor-general carries out her duties on her behalf. His powers are defined by the Constitution. • The prime minister (the Executive when combined with the governor-general) is not mentioned in the Constitution although it was always intended that the leader of the majority party/parties in the House of Representatives would be the head of government, as is the situation in the Westminster or British system of government. • The prime minister selects a cabinet or group of ministers to advise him. • Each minister is in charge of a government department. • The High Court (the Judiciary) is the highest court in the land. • The High Court interprets the constitution and resolves disputes about its meaning. • It also settles disputes between state governments and the federal government. • It may also reject a law passed by the federal parliament if it decides that the law is contrary to the Constitution
Changing the Constitution • This can only be done by a referendum where a majority of voters in a majority of states must agree to the change for it to be carried out. • Only a few of the 41 Referendum proposals have been agreed to by the voters.
