Australia: the making of a nation

1. Australia: the making of a nation 1890-1915

2. Why did Australia become a nation? • Prior to Federation, Australia was divided into six states and each state was run like a separate country under British law. With this particular design came a great deal of issues between the states, such as trade tax between states, concern of defence against migrants and because NSW was such a dominant state it often influenced decision making in other states. The variations in standards between states also meant that it was difficult to move forward with rail and telegraph developments. Map from; en.wikipedia.org Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 9 May 1901

3. How did Australia become a nation? • On the 1st of January, 1901 Australia became an independent nation. This meant that the British parliament allowed the six Australian colonies to join together and rule over the country which was the Commonwealth of Australia. As part of this process Australia was established as a constitutional monarchy. The constitutional part refers to the fact that the Commonwealth of Australia was made possible with a written constitution and the monarchy refers to Australia’s head of state being Queen Victoria. • The constitution document played a crucial role in the formation of the Australian Government. Representatives from each of the six colonies contributed to the document. It set the foundations as to how each state would be run and the obligations of each state to the Commonwealth. • With Australia being such a long distance from Britain it became necessary to appoint a Governor-General who can carry out the monarch’s wishes in their absence. The letters patent issued by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General

4. How did Australian society change? • Federation changed the way people thought of themselves. Prior to federation the Australian population had very much thought of themselves as being British and it was somewhat frowned upon to think otherwise. After federation people recognised that Australia was now united as a self governing country and that it was possible to take on the title of being Australian. When Australia sent troops to fight in World War 1 they were now fighting under their own Australian flag. • With more independence from Britain, federation also meant that Australia could now vote to develop their own laws and policies. Australia also built up its own Navy. • During the period following federation Australians faced great hardship. Despite the fact that they now lived in a country that could decide its own fate, they were still confronted with the daily struggles of high unemployment, poor living conditions, deadly diseases and severe social problems. School children gathered on the corner of Wharf and Adelaide Streets, Brisbane, to sing 'Rouse Australians' in the Federation celebrations in Brisbane. (Image taken from The Queenslander, 12 January,1901)

5. Who were the people who came to Australia? • Over 1 million people immigrated to Australia between 1788 and 1900. Most people came from the British Isles, however some were from Europe and Asia. These immigrants were mostly divided into one of four classes:- 1.Convicts 2.Bounty Immigrants (chosen by Australian colonists) 3.Assisted immigrants (Governement assistance) and 4.Paying passengers. • By 1888 a majority of people living in Australia had been born here and as such their ties to the country was strong. In 1901, 98% of people in Australia were white. Many Australians sort to protect the country from competition from migrants. Consequently in 1901 the Immigration Restriction Act was passed. This meant that any person migrating to Australia had to pass a dictation test.It is known as the 'White Australia' policy and it continued through to the 1960s. • This Act resulted in some restrictions for Chinese immigrants. Italian and Slavic immigrants arrived and often worked as market farmers. Tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders were relocated to Australia to work under labour schemes. They were referred to as “Kanakas” . • The hundreds of thousands of people who arrived in Australia greatly influenced Australia becoming a modern society. Migrants disembarking from a ship (en.wikipedia.org)

6. Significant group • A significant group that greatly contributed to Australian Society during the Federation period was the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club. The club was established on the 21st of February 1907 at the Royal Hotel Bondi Beach by a group of regular bathers. They had seen the need for a service that regularly protected bathers when they were swimming at the beach. It is the oldest surf lifesaving club in the world and it is responsible for introducing surf lifesaving to Australia. The club also introduced the famous surf reel and line. The club not only influenced society in the 1900’s it continues to play an important part in society today. Image from The Australian March 12th 2013 Image from bondisurfclub.com

7. Bibliography • Coupe, S & Andrews, M 1992, Was it only Yesterday? Australia in the Twentieth Century World, Longman Chesire, Sydney. • Stone, W, 1984. Folklore of Australia, The Currawong Press, Sydney. • Heritage Collections Council 2001, Significance: A guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections, Canberra. • Stone, W, 1984. Folklore of Australia, The Currawong Press, Sydney. • www.theaustralian.com.au • www.bondisurfclub.com.au • www.foundingdocs.gov.au • www.skwirk.com life in Australia at the turn of the century • www.naa.gov.au/collection/publications immigration national archive • www.wikipedia.org timeline of Australian History