AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION, the political union of the five Australian colonies, together with Tasmania. The first convention looking to this end was held at Hobart in Jan uary 1886. The colonies represented were Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Aus tralia and Fiji. Another conference took place in 1891, at Sydney, New South Wales, attended by delegates from each of the colonies. A plan of Federal government was proposed, re sembling in many of its features that of the United States. A draft bill to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia was adopted by the convention, and it was agreed to submit it to the approval of the individual legislatures of the several colonies. This bill met with success in the lower branch of but one colonial legislature — that of Victoria. In January 1895 there was a conference of premiers of five colonies at Hobart, and the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales passed a Federal Enabling Act in November of that year, and notice of motion was given in other legislatures to bring in a similar bill. The first practical step was taken in 1898. A convention of representatives of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia succeeded in drafting a Constitution, which was submitted to the popular vote of each of those colonies in June. The Constitution provided for a gover nor-general, appointed by the Crown; a Federal Parliament, composed of the Crown, repre sented by the governor-general, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The powers of the Parliament were set forth in 39 articles, and covered trade with other countries, taxation, coinage, weights and measures, foreign corpora tions, pensions, arbitration, etc. Free trade be tween the states was recognized. By the terms of the plebiscite, an affirmative vote of sub stantially one-third of the electors of New South Wales, and of one-fifth of the electors of each of the other colonies, was required to adopt this Constitution. But the election returns in June were fatal to the scheme. While the majorities in the four lesser colonies were overwhelmingly in favor of the Constitution, the requisite affirmative vote in New South Wales was not obtained.
On 2 Feb. 1899, a unanimous agreement was reached by the colonial premiers in conference at Melbourne, regarding the unsettled questions referred to them by the colonial legislatures, thus insuring the success of the Federation proj ect. In 1900, a bill making Federation effective was introduced into Parliament, at London, and passed, the only amendment offered having ref erence to the royal prerogative. On 1 Jan. 1901 the Australian Commonwealth was pro claimed. So similar in character is the Con stitution of the Australian Commonwealth to that of the United States that there can be no doubt that the former is modeled very largely after the latter. This is especially obvious in the matter of states' rights. Evidently there is in Australia that same tendency toward local autonomy that is here represented by the prin ciples of Thomas Jefferson.
The Australian Constitution provides for a Parliament very similar to the United States Congress, comprising a Senate and a House of Representatives. In place of the President there is the governor-general, appointed from London, who has the power to summons, to prorogue or to dissolve Parliament, though it must meet every year. There are six senators from each of the six states, elected by the peo ple for a term of six years each. The repre
sentatives are elected for terms of three years, also by direct ballot, and it is so arranged that they shall always number twice as many as the senators. By a majority vote Parliament may increase or decrease either chamber, though it may not interfere with the proportion of any state's representation in the House without that state's consent.
Although the principle of states' rights is fundamental, the Australian Parliament has a wider scope of legislative activity than has the Congress of the United States. It has the power to legislate on marriage, divorce, bank ruptcy and incorporation of commercial enter prises. It has the power to levy taxes, direct or indirect; it may regulate foreign or inter state commerce, may enforce arbitration in dis putes between states or industrial organiza tions; the Federal government may carry on banking, insurance, may establish old-age pen sions, has control and may acquire the tele graphs, telephone systems, the railroads, etc. And where state laws come in conflict with Federal laws, the former are void. Legislation may originate in either House, but money bills must originate only in the House of Representa tives. The Senate may reject a House bill, but it may not amend it. Should the Senate per sist in rejecting certain legislation passed by the House, and thus cause a deadlock, Parlia ment automatically dissolves and a new election takes place.
The judicial power of the Federation is represented by the High Court of Appeals, corresponding to the Supreme Court of the United States. This court hears appeals from the state Supreme Courts or the minor Federal courts. An appeal from the High Court may, however, be carried to London in matters not involving the Constitution. It was at first in tended to limit this right of interference on the part of the home government to matters affect ing other parts of the British empire, but cer tain compromises were made on both sides. On the whole, however, the Australian Federal government is practically independent, and the power of the home government and the gover nor-general is limited almost entirely to the veto.
On 9 May 1901 the 1st Parliament opened in Melbourne, which was made the temporary capital. The Earl of Hopetoun was appointed the first governor-general. The following year he resigned and was replaced by Baron Tenny son, who was replaced by Baron Northcote in 1904. In 1908 the latter gave place to the Earl of Dudley. Ronald Munro-Ferguson was ap pointed governor-general in May 1914. He is assisted by a cabinet of seven members, ap pointed by himself.
On 5 Dec. 1910 New South Wales agreed to cede to the new Federal government 912 square miles of territory in the Yass-Canberra district, which is to be a Federal district, cor responding to the District of Columbia in the United States. In 1913 work was begun on the building of the capital for the Federal government; this city is to be known as Can berra (q.v.). At present the population of the whole Federal district is only 2,868. In 1915 the customs revenue of the Australian Federal government was £11,702,000. Consult Quick, The Annotated Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth' (Sydney 1901) ; Turner, 'First Decade of the Australian Common wealth> (New York 1911):