The Federal Constitution.-- The Federal Constitution came into force and the Australian colonies were united on 1 Jan. 1901. By this Constitution instrument a new Parliament was called into existence, as well as a new executive, and a new judiciary. The union of people and states, so organized and constituted, in many respects resembles that of the United States of America. The new form of government has been created for special and limited purposes to deal with matters of common Australian in terests. The power and authority of the Fed eral Parliament, and Federal government, are limited and restricted to such powers and au thorities as have been expressly taken from the state, or such new powers as are specified and particularized in the instrument. The gov ernments and Parliaments of the states have the same legislative and executive scope as before — save as to matters delegated to the Federal authority. In this respect the Australian Con stitution differs from that of Canada, which limits and defines the power of the province and confers upon the Dominion Parliament all the residue of sovereign power.
Executive Department of the Common The executive power of the Common wealth is vested in the king, and exercised by the governor-general as the king's represen tative. It includes the maintenance of the con stitution and the execution of the laws of the Commonwealth. There is an Executive Coun cil to advise the governor-general in regard to the government of the Commonwealth. The governor-general can appoint ministers to pre side over the several departments. No minister can hold office longer than three months, unless he be a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives. There can be no more than seven ministers in office at the same time. The sum of #12,000 per annum is appropriated to be divided among ministers by themselves.
Immediately upon the establishment of the Commonwealth the departments of customs and excise in all states were by operation of law taken from the states and transferred to the Commonwealth. By proclamation later on the departments of post-offices, telegraphs and tele phones, naval and military defense were taken from the states and vested in the Common wealth. Four new Federal departments were also created by proclamation, viz., the Depart ment of External Affairs, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of the Attorney-General.
Legislative Department of the Common The legislative power of the Com monwealth is vested in a Federal Parliament consisting of the King, or Queen, of the United Kingdom, the Senate and the House of Rep resentatives. The Senate consists of represen
tatives from each of the six states directly chosen by the people of each state voting as one electorate; each state is entitled to six senators. Senators are chosen for six years, one-half retiring every three years. The House of Representatives is composed of members directly chosen by the electors of the Common wealth; the total number of such members must be as nearly as practicable twice the number of the senators. The Senate is called the State House, the House of Representatives is called the National Chamber, in which the people of each state are represented according to popula tion, save and except that no state is to have less than five members. In the first Parliament, New South Wales sent 26 members to the House of Representatives, Victoria sent 23, Queensland sent 9, South Australia sent 7, Western Australia and Tasmania sent 5 each. The House of Representatives continues to exist for a period of three years from the first meeting, unless sooner dissolved by the gov ernor-general. In case of a deadlock between the two Houses extending over a certain time the governor-general may under certain con ditions and circumstances dissolve both Houses and send them to the people; after such a double dissolution a joint sitting of both Houses of the newly-elected members must be held at which they deliberate and vote upon the proposed law in dispute.
The Federal Parliament can make laws re specting trade and commerce taxation, bounties, borrowing, postal and telegraphic matters, naval and military defense, light houses, fisheries, census, currency, interstate insurance, weights and measures, negotiable instruments, bank ruptcy, copyrights, patents, naturalization, foreign co-operations, marriage and divorce, old age pensions, service and execution of process, immigration, influx of criminals, ex ternal affairs, relations of the Commonwealth with the islands of the Pacific, acquisition of property for Federal purposes, control of rail ways for naval and military transport, acquisi tion of state railways with the consent of such state, construction of railways through a state with the consent of such state, conciliation and arbitration for the settlement of interstate in dustrial disputes, scat of government of the Commonwealth and departments of the public service.
On 1 Jan. 1911 eThe Northern Territory" of Australia which had previously belonged to the state of South Australia was transferred to the Commonwealth government. This is an area of 523,620 square miles with a white popu lation of only about 2,000.