Hopes and Fears of Federation

1. Hopes and Fears of Federation 1893 - 1901

2. Corowa Conference – August 1893 Organised by the Australian Natives Association (ANA) and various Federation Leagues. Was seen as a watershed moment as it involved people other than politicians. Held in a small border town of Southern NSW. ANA wanted a united Australia that represented this new generation of Australians who saw themselves as distinct from their European counterparts. Federation Leagues made up largely businessmen and farmers who saw federation as a means of removing custom houses (tariffs, taxes).

3. The 1890s Depression Even though initially the economic depression of the 1890s damaged the federation movement many used it as an example of why the colonies should unite. Rosalie Triolo: “The depression made many Australians question Australia’s economic dependence on Britain.” Many Australian businesses were financed by British banks as local banks were too small to provide large loans. Businessmen, politicians and bankers argued that if there was a national banking structure they could have responded better to the depression (Triolo). The harsh circumstances of the depression also brought Australians together through their shared experiences.

4. 1890s Depression AGL Shaw: Economically bankers and pastoralists argued that federation would create an opportunity “to borrow on better terms” as the “colonies were anxious both to resume borrowing and to reduce interest rates, this was an important consideration.” Geoffrey Blainey: “Defence had carried the idea of federation one step. Now in the 1890’s the economic hopes began to carry it to the next.”

5. Corowa Conference The Corowa conference was itself floundering like previous conferences. Dr John Quick intervened by pushing for a more democratic process where the people would get greater input and subsequently greater chance of success. He proposed each colony elect 10 delegates that would redraft the 1891 document. Each colony would hold a referendum on the redrafted document. This was a radical proposal as no other country had involved its citizens so directly. This proposal was not adopted until 1895 at the Premiers conference in Hobart. The delegates were all white, mostly middle-class with legal backgrounds, no women, one non-European (Canadian) and one who represented the labouring class.

6. Women After women received the right to vote in South Australia (1894) outspoken women’s advocate Catherine Spence stood to be a SA delegate in the National Australasian Convention in 1897 to push for fair electoral representation. Catherine Spence argued that a truly united Australia must aim to democratically represent all people. Barwick and Barwick: “Women had differing opinions about Federation. Some supported it, because they hoped it would bring them the right to vote and to stand for parliament. Others argued that these rights should first be achieved in all colonies, so the Commonwealth Government would have to include them in the constitution.”

7. Aborigines According to John Bannon a historian and former South Australian premier the Aboriginal population was not included in the census nor would they affairs be a commonwealth (federal) matter was a strategic decision on the part of Vic and NSW. The future House of Reps seats would be allocated based on pop sizes of eligible voters. Vic and NSW had small aboriginal numbers while WA and SA had sizable populations. These states could use these numbers to increase their seat numbers.

8. Aborigines Darlington: “Federation…represented a backward step for Aboriginal Australians” Darlington also notes the complicated nature of voting rights in the constitution as each colony had different voting rights in relation to women and Aborigines. SA and WA women could vote while in NSW, Vic, Tas and SA Aboriginals could vote. Thus in Qld women and Aborigines were excluded from the vote; SA women and Aborigines could vote; in WA women but not Aborigines could vote, and in NSW, Vic and Tas Aboriginal men but not women (of any race) could vote.

9. Voting Rights The new Commonwealth Constitution dictated that a person who could vote at a State election could also vote at the federal level. Therefore in certain states women and Aborigines were given a right to vote federally in 1901. When colonies set up their constitutions in the 1850s voting rights were given to all British male subjects over 21 including Aborigines. However few Aborigines understood their voting rights and even fewer actually voted.

10. Aboriginal Population Sizes

11. First Commonwealth Parliament The first Commonwealth Parliament was elected by State voters but when it first met it had to decide who would be entitled to vote in the future. Three groups attracted debate – women, Aborigines and non-white immigrant permanent residents. Aborigines were the largest non-European group. The debates were full of racist rhetoric however the Senate voted in favour Aboriginal voter rights but the House of Representatives defeated them.

12. First Commonwealth Parliament The 1902 Franchise Act gave women the vote but Aborigines and other ‘coloured’ people were excluded unless entitled under section 41 of the Constitution (a State vote rights provides Commonwealth vote rights). However the first Solicitor-General, Sir Robert Garran determined that section 41 only applies to those people enrolled to vote in 1902. So no new Aboriginal voters and the existing voters will eventually die out. The general view was that Aborigines were going to die out anyways and therefore of little political significance (Macintyre).

13. Astbury

14. Nationalism National spirit had taken hold of many by the late 19th century. Nationalism was expressed by magazines like the Bulletin, artists associated with the Heidelberg school, poets like Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson and organisations like the Australian Natives Association. Barwick: “All colonies had a common background and spoke the same language…the Australian cricket team had already represented all of Australia”

15. Inevitablity? As the end of the 19th century approached in Australia federation seemed inevitable. Notably many politicians saw federation as inevitable, even those against it. 1890s WA premier Sir John Forrest was apprehensive of losing self-determination with Federation and stalled the process yet even he saw federation as inevitable. However the voting public in general were apathetic to the supposed ‘democratic’ process of federation.

16. The polls to elect delegates for the Convention to draft the Constitution fluctuated between 25% in Tasmania to the highest of 51.2% in NSW. The second stage of holding referendums in the colonies had a larger turn-out yet even then there were more voters at colonial elections of the same year. However Willis counters that low-voter turn-out can be explained by a number of factors: low electoral staff numbers, rain, other major news (Spanish-American war), it was a public holiday in Melbourne, and if many did take federation as inevitable it could have “actually led to many people not voting.”

17. In 1898 and 1899 Australians had to vote to either accept or reject the draft constitution of federal commonwealth of Australia. Newspapers were the main means of getting the debate discussed as there was no television, colour photographs or film. Newspapers had a high circulation in Australia and their were a number that competed for the public’s attention. Federation was an ongoing story that was featured regularly in newspapers.

18. Sir George Reid

19. Yes/No Speech Many thought that Reid was most interested in maintaining power. His position on federation fluctuated. This was most present in his infamous ‘Yes/No’ speech where he indicated that he was in favour of federation but spent a great deal of his speech discussing the bill’s inadequacies. Reid added further complications by introducing that the NSW’s pop had to attain 80,000 yes votes to join federation instead of a simple majority.

20. Further Complications Qld was divided on the federation issue and considered a regional divide where some would join the commonwealth and others not. WA under John Forrest had gained much wealth through the discovery of gold deposits and had only recently become independent. Forrest was not interested in giving up either gold tax revenues nor autonomy so easily. Furthermore many of the smaller states were concerned that the larger and wealthy states would dominate the upcoming federal government and their interests would be pushed aside.

21. Concessions To appease the smaller states Senate representation would divided equally rather than based on population. The Senate had the power to reject bills, protect state interests and influence bills to suit their local concerns. NSW was placated with the promise that capital would be located within her borders BUT at least 100 miles from Sydney.

22. These concessions led to a successful referendum in every colony bar Western Australia (John Forrest did not even put the vote up). The remaining colonies now brought the democratically backed constitution to the English parliament and was successfully passed (despite concerns in relation to the High Court and the lessen role of its Privy Council). Furthermore the placed increased pressure on WA to join. Forrest pushed for my concessions including an East-West rail link but his own population (especially miners) were very keen to join the new commonwealth. When Western Australians finally got the chance to vote they overwhelming backed federation.

23. Western Australia was not included in the preamble to the constitution. On Jan 1, 1901 at a ceremony in Hyde Park, Sydney around 100,000 estimated (debatable) people witnessed England’s representative, our first Governor-General Lord Hopetoun, proclaim Edmund Barton as our first Prime Minister.

24. The procession celebrating the new commonwealth of Australia provides a clear depiction of the freshly formed national identity: Large numbers of British troops as well as Australian troops wearing slouch hats and emu feathers. Marchers passed under arches that symbolically represented wool, wheat, coal, the other colonies, and the American government Floats included one from the Italian and Chinese community.

25. All Christian churches marched except Catholics who got in an argument over their place in the march and decided to met seperately. Different union groups marched – shearers, timber-cutters, wharfies– headed by the Eight Hour Banner. All union marchers were men. Only women in the procession were in costume as figures from British history

26. God Save the Queen was the national anthem, British flags were flown as Australia had no official flag, toasts were to The Queen All speeches made by men Women were present in the official party but only as partners to their significant male counterparts. No official role for Aborigines