Federation

When they were established, the six British colonies in Australia were like separate countries with their own government and laws. But by the 1880s there was growing momentum for the idea of a national government because the colonies had concerns in common including national defence, tariffs, railways and immigration.

A series of Federal Conventions was held to progress the idea. The first was held in Sydney in 1891 and it was attended by parliamentary delegates from each of the colonies and the New Zealand Parliament. The Federal Convention of 1897 comprised of elected members for the purpose of progressing the idea of Federation. Delegates met in three sessions, in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne in 1897 and early 1898, they modified the draft constitution produced in 1891, each detail of the constitution was debated and the makeup of the new legislature was finalised.

At the first session of the 1897-98 Federal Convention held in Adelaide, there were 50 delegates from across the colonies. Catherine Helen Spence (The State Library of South Australia has a named Spence Wing in her honour) was a South Australiana candidate for the Federal Convention  election of 1897. She failed to gain sufficient votes to become a delegate, but in standing for election she became Australia’s first female political candidate. A committee comprising of Edmund Barton, Richard O’Connor and John Downer produced a draft Constitution. Josiah Symon (Sir Josiah Symon’s library is situated in the Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia) was an elected delegate and went on to annotate of the 1891 and 1897 draft Constitutions of which the State Library of South Australia has original copies.

Most Australian colonies took the proposed constitution to referendums in 1898 and 1899. Symon formed the Commonwealth League in South Australia to promote the ‘Yes’ vote at the 1898 referendum. The Anti-Commonwealth Bill League issued a ‘Yellow circular’ detailing the ‘No’ vote. South  Australians voted ‘Yes’ for Federation at both referendums. On 4 June 1898 35,800 voted for the Constitution Bill, while 17,320 voted against it. In 1899, 65,990 voted ‘Yes’ for the amended Constitution, with 17,053 voting ‘No’.

Following successful referendums in all colonies except Western Australia, colonial governments requested the British Parliament to pass legislation to establish the Commonwealth of Australia. On 5 July 1900 the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act was passed and it was given Royal Assent by Queen Victoria on 9 July.

On New Years Day, 1901, the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia took place in a formal ceremony in Centennial Park, Sydney, and the colonies now became States. Lord Tennyson was sworn in as South Australia’s Governor at the Adelaide Town Hall.

The Duke of York and Cornwall opened the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia at the Exhibition building in Melbourne on 9 May 1901.

In July 1901, Adelaide city was lavishly decorated to welcome the Duke and Duchess of York and Cornwall who visited as part of a tour of the capital cities to celebrate Australian Federation.