Government

Part 3.1

How did we establish our system of government?

Federation

After British settlement and before 1901, Australia was made up of six separate, self-governing British colonies.
Each colony had its own constitution and laws relating to defence, immigration, postage, trade and transport. However, this created difficulties between the colonies. For example, trade and transport between the colonies was expensive and slow, and enforcing the law across borders was difficult. The separate colonies also had weak systems of defence.
As a result, people wanted to unite the colonies to form a single nation. More importantly, Australia’s national identity was beginning to form. Sporting teams were representing Australia internationally and an Australian culture was developing in popular songs, poems, stories and art.
Uniting the nation was a difficult task, but over time, the idea of one Australian nation became a reality. On 1 January 1901, the colonies were united into a federation of states called the Commonwealth of Australia.

The Australian Constitution

The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Australian Constitution) is the legal document that sets out the basic rules for the government of Australia. The Australian Constitution was originally passed as part of a British Act of Parliament in 1900. On 1 January 1901, the Australian Constitution came into effect and the Australian colonies became one independent nation: the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Australian Constitution established the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The Constitution also established the High Court of Australia, which has the ultimate power to apply and interpret the laws of Australia.
The Australian people can change the Australian Constitution by voting in a referendum, such as the 1967 Referendum where more than 90 per cent of Australians voted ‘Yes’ to allow Aboriginal peoples to be counted in the Census.
In a referendum, there needs to be a ‘double majority’ for the Australian Constitution to be changed. That is, both the majority of voters in a majority of states and a majority of voters across the nation must vote for the change.