fbpx

KidsKonnect

Australian Federation Facts & Worksheets

The Federation of Australia came about through a process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia agreed to join together and form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /World History /Australian Federation Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Australian Federation Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

The Federation of Australia came about through a process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia agreed to join together and form the Commonwealth of Australia.

See the fact file below for more information on the Australian Federation or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Australian Federation worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY CALLS FOR FEDERATION

  • Attempts to get the self-governing British colonies to unite in a federation of Australia can be traced back to the 1840s.
  • A colony is a country or territory controlled by a more powerful country.
  • British colonies were established from the late 1700s,
  • Each colony had its own government, laws, postage stamps, tariffs, and railway systems, which had caused issues.
  • People began to consider the idea of unifying the colonies to solve the inefficiency of the colonial system as it was.
  • Some benefits considered were a strengthened economy, a more democratic government, and the possibility of a national defense force..
  • As early as 1842, an anonymous article was published in the South Australian Magazine calling for a “Union of the Australasian Colonies into a Governor-Generalship”.
  • In September 1846, Sir Edward Deas Thomson, the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, suggested a federation in the New South Wales Legislative Council.
  • In his petition to the UK Colonial Office, Sir Charles Fitzroy, the Governor of New South Wales, suggested a superior functionary with power to review the legislation of all the colonies.
  • In 1847, Earl Gray, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, drafted a plan for a “General Assembly” of the colonies, but it was not enacted.

FEDERAL COUNCIL OF AUSTRALASIA

  • In 1867, Sir Henry Parkes, then Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, proposed a Federal Council body.
  • After the proposal was rejected by the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Sir Henry Parkes, who was already Premier of New South Wales, brought up the issue back in 1880.
  • The final and successful proposal of a Federal Council was brought up at an Intercolonial Convention in Sydney in November and December 1883.
  • Sir Samuel Griffith, the Premier of Queensland, drafted a bill to constitute the Federal Council.
  • The convention successfully petitioned the Imperial Parliament to enact the bill, which was called the Federal Council of Australasia Act 1885.
  • The Federal Council of Australasia was a forerunner to the current Commonwealth of Australia.
  • The Federal Council of Australasia represented the inter-colonial affairs of the colonies with the South Pacific islands and had the power to legislate on certain inter-colonial matters.
  • The colonies of Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and Fiji were members. South Australia was a member from 1888 to 1890.
  • New South Wales and New Zealand were not members.

FEDERATION PROCESS

  • It was not until the late 1880s when a more serious movement for Federation of the colonies emerged.
  • The 1880s was a period of increasing nationalism among Australians.
  • The colonies were also influenced by other federations that had arisen, such as the United States and Canada.
  • In 1889, Sir Henry Parkes delivered an address at Tenterfield, New South Wales, urging the colonies to federate.
  • Parkes knew popular support was not enough, so he lobbied his fellow premiers to back federation.
  • On February 6, 1890, parliament delegates from the colonies and New Zealand met at the Australasian Federation Conference in Melbourne, which recommended a national convention be conducted to draft a constitution for a Commonwealth of Australia.
  • The first National Australasian Convention was held in Sydney in 1891 and a constitution was drafted.
  • The draft constitution would establish a federal system of government, with the colonies uniting as separate states within the Commonwealth, and a federal Parliament and state parliaments sharing the power.
  • A period of economic depression beginning 1891 resulted in weakened momentum for the federation.
  • Parkes, the federation’s leading proponent, retired from politics.
  • In 1893, a people’s conference was held in Corowa, New South Wales, which urged a new convention to draft a constitution.
  • Queensland decided not to join because its parliament feared that the federation would cost it its Pacific Islander labor force.
  • New Zealand also decided not to be part of the federation.
  • A second people’s conference in Bathurst, New South Wales was held in 1896 and over 150 delegates participated.
  • In March 1896, elections for convention delegates were held in New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia.
  • The second National Australasian Convention took place in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne, and agreed to the constitution.
  • Referendums were held in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania in 1898.
  • All colonies apart from New South Wales approved the constitution.
  • In January 1899, a secret premiers’ meeting agreed to changes to the constitution, and this was followed by referendums that year that gathered a majority ‘yes’ vote for the constitution.
  • In March 1900, a delegation presented the constitution to the British Parliament.
  • In July 1900, the British Parliament passed the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act which was shortly thereafter signed by Queen Victoria.
  • On January 1, 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed in Centennial Park, Sydney.
  • The first federal election was held on March 29 and 30, 1901.

PEOPLE INVOLVED

  • The federation movement was participated in by many people, including both men and women in federal leagues and societies,
  • Major figures of the movement:
    • Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of New South Wales, gathered public support for federation.
    • Sir Edmund Barton, prime minister of Australia, coined the rallying cry “a nation for continent and a movement for a nation”.
    • Sir Samuel Griffith, Premier of Queensland during the federation process, wrote the first draft of the Australian Constitution.
    • Catherine Helen Spence was the only woman to stand for election to the second National Australasian Convention.
    • John Quick proposed that each colony send delegates to a conference that would agree to a draft constitution.
    • Sir George Reid, Premier of New South Wales during the federation process, said that he would vote ‘yes’ in the first referendum.

Australian Federation Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Australian Federation across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Australian Federation worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Federation of Australia which came about through a process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia agreed to join together and form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Australian Federation Facts
  • Federation Members
  • Federation or False?
  • What’s the Term?
  • Match the Names
  • Correct Date
  • Pros and Cons
  • Cartoon Analysis
  • Posting Trivia
  • Federation Poster
  • One People, One Destiny

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Australian Federation Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, May 19, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources