The Federal Council of Australasia was a forerunner to the current
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, though its structure and members were different.
The final (and successful) push for the Federal Council came at a "Convention" on 28 November 1883, which met in Sydney, and at which the six Australian colonies,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
were represented.
[Federal Council of Australasia by Alfred Deakin (at University of Sydney Library)]
/ref> The conference was called to debate the strategies needed to counter the activities of the German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and French in New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
and in New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
.
Sir Samuel Griffith
Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, (21 June 1845 – 9 August 1920) was an Australian judge and politician who served as the inaugural Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1903 to 1919. He also served a term as Chief Justice of Queensland and t ...
, the Premier of Queensland
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...
, drafted a bill to constitute the Federal Council. The Federal Council was a limited legislative body. It had powers to legislate directly upon certain matters, such as in relation to extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
, regulation of fisheries, patents of invention and discovery and copyright, and so on, but it did not have a permanent secretariat, executive powers, or any revenue of its own. The representatives considered that the formation of the Council was a constitutional change that required an Act of the British Parliament. In July and August, 1884, the Legislatures of Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia, and Fiji petitioned the Imperial Parliament to enact the bill. The bill became law on 14 August 1885 as the ''Federal Council of Australasia Act 1885'',[note 2, at 18-21.] and gave any Australasian colony power to join or withdraw from the Council.
The first assembly of the Federal Council took place on 25 January 1886 in Hobart, Tasmania
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smalle ...
, and consisted of representatives of the self-governing colonies of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
and Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and the Crown Colonies
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council ...
of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
and Fiji were involved. New South Wales and New Zealand did not join the Federal Council. South Australia was briefly a member between 1888 and 1890. The Federal Council met eight times between 1886 and 1899, to discuss matters of importance and common interest. It had no power to enforce its decisions beyond that provided by the member colonies. Furthermore, the absence of the powerful colony of New South Wales weakened its representative value.
Robert Hamilton from Tasmania presided over the Federal Council meetings held in Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
in 1887, 1888, and 1889. Adye Douglas
Sir Adye Douglas (31 May 1815 – 10 April 1906) was an Australian lawyer and politician, and first class cricket player, who played one match for Tasmania. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 August 1884 to 8 March 1886.
Early life
The so ...
, Premier of Tasmania
The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Ta ...
from 1884 to 1886, represented Tasmania on the Federal Council. Thomas Joseph Byrnes
Thomas Joseph Byrnes (11 November 1860 – 27 September 1898) was Premier of Queensland from April 1898 until his death in September of the same year, having previously served in several ministerial positions in his parliamentary career.Rosemar ...
represented Queensland at meetings of the Federal Council in 1895 and 1897. He became Premier of Queensland
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...
in 1898 and died in the same year.[Rosemary Howard Gill]
'Byrnes, Thomas Joseph (1860 - 1898)'
''Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', Vol. 7, ''Melbourne University Press
Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne.
History
MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself. ...
'', 1979, pp 517-519. Retrieved 19 April 2010 Robert Frederick Sholl
Robert Frederick Sholl (27 August 1848 – 4 December 1909) was an entrepreneur and a member of the Parliament of Western Australia. His business interests included pearling vessels, real estate and mining. Sholl was also a representative at th ...
, a member of the Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative Ass ...
, was also a representative at the Australasian Federal Convention
In Australian history, the term Constitutional Convention refers to four distinct gatherings.
1891 convention
The 1891 Constitutional Convention was held in Sydney in March 1891 to consider a draft Frame of Government for the proposed federatio ...
of 1897. Sir Alexander Matheson, 3rd Baronet
Sir Alexander Perceval Matheson, 3rd Baronet (6 February 1861 – 6 August 1929) was a Senator for Western Australia (1901–1906) and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council (1897–1901). He was born in London and arrived in ...
, member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...
from 1897 to 1901, was also a member of the Federal Council from 1897 to 1900.
The Federal Council was abolished by the ''Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the A ...
'', section 7. The final meeting of the Federal Council had taken place in January 1899.
See also
* Council of Australian Governments
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...
References
External links
Year Book Australia 1908
Federal Council of Australasia by Alfred Deakin (at University of Sydney Library)
{{Authority control
Political history of Australia
History of Fiji
Political history of New Zealand