Secessionism in Tasmania has been proposed several times throughout Tasmania's history.

Pre-federation

Before

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

, there was a lot of support for

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

joining the Commonwealth, though there was some opposition. The opposition argued that Federation would cause financial devastation to Tasmania, which obtained much of its revenue from customs and excise. Most prominently among those who were concerned about Tasmania's future in the proposed federation was state statistician R. M. Johnston, who was supported by the Tasmanian attorney-general,

Andrew Inglis Clark Andrew Inglis Clark (24 February 1848 – 14 November 1907) was an Australian founding father and co-author of the Australian Constitution; he was also an engineer, barrister, politician, electoral reformer and jurist. He initially qualified as a ...

, and

Nicholas John Brown Nicholas John Brown (9 October 1838 – 22 September 1903) was a pastoralist and politician in colonial Tasmania, a Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. Brown was the son of Richard Brown, was born at Hobart and educated at the Hutchin ...

speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly The Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Tasmania. The role of Speaker has traditionally been a partisan office, filled by the governing party of the time. Speakers of the Ta ...

. Tasmanian delegates to the

Australian Constitutional 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 federation ...

s successfully advocated for section 87 and section 96 to be included in the

Australian Constitution 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 ...

Early 1920s

After federation, Tasmania lost much of its revenue due to the free trade provisions of the Australian Constitution, and was constantly dependent on grants from the Commonwealth to maintain itself (though it also gained revenue from its state lottery, which was popular in other states). This frustration began turning into calls for independence in the 1920s, which were supported by the Hobart Chamber of Commerce, and the ''

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

'' newspaper - in 1922, the ''Mercury'' called for the "complete dissolution of the Federation". In 1925, the Tasmanian rights league was formed, which advocated for "Justice for Tasmania or Secession", and by 1926, it delivered a petition to the Federal Parliament signed by 10429 Tasmanian voters demanding that the Commonwealth make various changes to help Tasmania.

1928–1930s

Starting around 1928, popular support for Tasmanian secession grew significantly. Among the supporters of the anti-federal movement were the Tasmanian shipping committee, the primary producers association of Tasmania and the Tasmanian economic society. In 1930, a Tasmanian branch of the Dominion League (a

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 ...

n secessionist organisation) was formed, which aimed for a secession referendum, though some thought that this was unrealistic. and the women's non-party league of Tasmania gave support to the anti-federalists. In 1928, Thomas Murdoch introduced a motion into the

Tasmanian Legislative Council The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, H ...

calling for Tasmania's secession from the Commonwealth, although it was ultimately defeated."Secession Suggested"
Terry Newman, Parliament of Tasmania, January 2007. After the appointment of the

Commonwealth Grants Commission The Commonwealth Grants Commission is an Australian independent statutory body that advises the Australian Government on financial assistance to the states and territories of Australia under section 96 of the Australian Constitution. The Commiss ...

in 1933, the Commission produced a report recommending that Tasmania receive £290000 in 1934-35, which significantly reduced the Tasmanian demands for secession."Secession"
Stefan Petrow, The Companion to Tasmanian History, Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies, 2006.

1980s

In the 1980s, Labor Party

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Doug Lowe said that independence might have been considered. Later, the Liberal Party Premier Robin Gray proposed more self-government.

Post-1990s

In the 1990s, the now-defunct First Party of Tasmania was formed, which aimed for Tasmanian secession.

References

{{Secession in Countries

Secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...