Who established the Government? Why was the Government established?

Thanks for your questions about the government. There are a number of meanings for the word ‘government’. In the Australian Parliament the government is the political party, or coalition of parties, with the most members elected to the House of Representatives. The government is responsible for setting policy, proposing new laws and putting new laws into action for Australia.

The Australian Government was established at Federation in 1901.

Before 1901, Australia consisted of 6 British colonies which were partly self-governing but under the law-making power of the British Parliament. In the 1880s and 1890s, it was suggested the colonies might be stronger and more efficient if they worked together. Several conventions were held to draft the Australian Constitution. In 1899, the draft was approved by a vote of the people in referendums. In 1900, it was agreed to by the British Parliament. On 1 January 1901, the Australian colonies united to become a nation. This is known as federation and resulted in the creation of a federal Parliament, with the colonies becoming Australia's 6 states. Through federation, the states transferred some of their law-making power to the Australian Parliament.