Australia's Federation

Discover the story behind Federation in Australia with this introductory video.

Teachers can use this video to introduce Federation to their students. It directly supports the Year 7 Unit of work.

Duration: 3 min 24 sec

Transcript

Vision Audio
Opening credits showing animated shapes with the words, Understand, Teach, Book, Connect. The Parliamentary Education Office logo. Music
Graphic of a poster advertising The Commonwealth of Australia Inaugural Celebrations at Sydney. On the 1st of January 1901, Australians celebrated Federation - the birth of our new nation. But the history of this continent dates back to well before Federation.
A timeline from 1901 scrolls to the left past the years 1788, 1000, 0 and to -60,000. For over 60,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Graphic of the landmass of Australia. The timeline scrolls back to the right to stop at 1788. have lived on the Australian continent and practised traditional cultures, languages and systems of government.
Image of a sailing ship.
Map of Australia showing the 6 colonies.		 From the late 1700s, British colonies were founded on the continent. These six separate British colonies operated like 6 different countries.
Images of the colonial parliaments, men dressed in 19th century clothing, and bags of money. Images of a one penny stamp with graphics of steam trains on it. Each one had a parliament to make laws and their own defence force. They all charged different taxes and taxed goods brought in from the other colonies. There were different postal and railway systems which made communication and travel across the continent very difficult.
The British flag. However, each colony was still under the authority of the British Parliament.
Black and white photograph of men dressed in nineteenth century clothing, graphic thought bubble with a map of Australia.
Black and white photograph of women dressed in nineteenth century clothing, graphic thought bubble with a map of Australia with the colonial borders disappearing.
Black and white photograph of men in uniform with musical instruments, graphics of symbols including a shield, a money bag, a customs officer and a globe.		 The people living in these colonies began to identify themselves as Australians and started to think that the colonies would work better if they united as a nation. They felt a national government should look after things like defence, trade, immigration and foreign policy.
Black and white photograph showing the delegates at a constitutional convention. During the 1890s, representatives from each colony met to create a set of rules for how this new nation would work. These rules would become the Australian Constitution.
A panoramic black and white photograph of the celebrations in Centennial Park in Sydney.
Black and white photograph of Edmund Barton.		  
The tally board for a referendum held in Western Australia. In 1899 and 1900, eligible voters in each colony participated in referendums.
Black and white photograph showing men passing through a fence and lining up to vote. On the other side a woman stands waiting. The eligibility to vote varied from colony to colony and many groups, including women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were excluded.
Tally board showing a majority yes count. The referendums were passed in each colony. It was the first time in history that a group of people voted to create a new nation.
The Palace of Westminster in London, the home of the British Parliament. As the colonies were still under the law making power of Britain, they needed approval from the British Parliament before they could unite.

The front page of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act.
A map of Australia showing the six colonies borders disappear.

 In July 1900, the British Parliament passed a law, the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act. The six colonies became the six states of Australia and a federal parliament was created. This is known as Federation.

A panoramic black and white photograph of the celebrations in Centennial Park in Sydney.
Governor-General Lord Hopetoun, draped with medals, stands at a desk surrounded by men and women.

 On the 1st of January 1901, 100,000 people gathered in Centennial Park in Sydney to watch Queen Victoria's representative, the Governor-General Lord Hopetoun, proclaim the Commonwealth of Australia. 

Black and white photograph of Edmund Barton.

 The crowd cheered as Edmund Barton was sworn in as Australia's first Prime Minister.
Graphics of fireworks over a photograph of the Ocean Wave Hotel. Federation was celebrated across Australia with parades, street parties, picnics and fireworks.
Image of Tom Robert's painting of the opening of Parliament in Melbourne. On the 9th of May 1901, the first Federal Parliament was opened in a ceremony at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
Black and white photograph of Victoria's Parliament House. For the next 26 years, Federal Parliament met in Victoria's Parliament House.
Black and white photograph of Old Parliament House in Canberra.
Reveal of colour video of Parliament House, Canberra.		 In 1927, it moved to the new Australian capital, Canberra. To this day, the Australian Constitution provides the basic rules for governing Australia.

The Parliamentary Education Office logo. www.peo.gov.au.

Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2024.

 Music.