How we cme about to having federation

Essay by Annihilation22Junior High, 9th gradeA+, July 2004

download word file, 2 pages 4.8 1 reviews

Downloaded 46 times

FEDERATION

In spite of all the difficulties that occurred in the process of federation, the work of men such as Sir Henry Parkes helped to overcome these problems, and eventually in 1901 the six colonies of Australia joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Railways helped connect people in different parts of the country, helping them feel closer together and more united as one country. Railways would also make it easier to have inter-colonial sport competitions. Foreign countries would be more likely to listen to one Australian government; it would be easier for inter state and national trade. Australian labelled products would be able to sell a lot better than colonial labelled products. .Also America had shown that there was strength in joining together, and it would be easier to defend the country with one army and one navy instead of six lots of little armies and navies.

It would be easier to have one immigration policy to keep out the Chinese. Some trade unions had already started joining together with trade unions in other colonies, which would make it easier to have a commonwealth of Australia.

Many people believed that the depression of the 1890's would not have happened if Australia had already been joined in federation and that it would not repeat itself if all the colonies were joined together.

New South Wales was afraid of losing power over some of its land and railways, Queensland and Tasmania were afraid of being bossed around by the larger colonies, Western Australia said it was to far away from the other colonies to join in a union.

There were arguments about where the capital city should be. Some colonies wanted taxes on trade (tariffs) and other colonies didn't.

The colonial politicians were afraid that they would lose some...