Australian Federation essays

Australian Federation essays When Australia was first established by white people, Governor Phillip had various powers and was able to rule in an autocratic way to keep the population under control (70% of whom were convicts). The wealthy and privileged filled the early parliaments and courts, which was an unofficial aristocracy. The citizens of the colonies were British citizens in a constitutional monarchy; a political system which is subject to the provisions of a constitution and in which a monarch has a right to be represented. Separate colonies developed into states that were united under a federal system of government after Federation in 1901. Gradually the influence of British governance declined. In the 1840s, males over 21 years old, in the Australian colony who rented or owned properties worth 200 or more were only allowed to vote. Early elections were not decided by secret ballot. Only prosperous people could afford to be parliamentarians as parliamentarians were not paid a salary. People who settled in Australia voiced their opinions about democratic ideals as they did not agree on these undemocratic practices. The working people from Britain fought for better conditions and a right to be heard. In the 1850s, countless people had gone to the goldfields in Victoria where a strong campaign began for reasonable treatment of less fortunate people. In 1854, the Eureka Stockade was an armed uprising by gold miners, and it began out of fury over a licence fee that had to be paid by them. The miners had no political representation; therefore they felt that the fee was unreasonable. The symbol for the fight for justice and equality continues to be represented by the flag that was raised during the stockade, and has been proposed as a national flag, should Australian become a republic; a country in a which the head of a state is elected. In 1856, voting by secret ballot came to Victoria and South Australia, while it came to New South Wa ...