Federation: becoming a nation

Before 1901, Australia was six separate British colonies. Each had its own government, laws, army, postage stamps and even different railway track widths. People crossing from one colony to another had to pay tariffs on goods.

Many people thought the colonies would be stronger together. Reasons included free trade between colonies, a shared defence force, a growing sense of national identity among people born in Australia, and a shared immigration policy. Some arguments for Federation reflected racist attitudes of the time, especially the wish to restrict non-European immigration.

Not everyone agreed. Some smaller colonies feared being dominated by New South Wales and Victoria, and some people worried about losing income from tariffs.

Delegates from the colonies met at conventions during the 1890s to write a Constitution. Voters in the colonies then approved it in referendums between 1898 and 1900. Most First Nations people and many women could not vote in these referendums.

The British Parliament passed the Constitution Act in 1900. On 1 January 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed in Centennial Park, Sydney. The colonies became states.

Edmund Barton became the first Prime Minister. Sir Henry Parkes is often called the 'Father of Federation' for his early campaigning, although he died in 1896 before it was achieved. The first federal Parliament met in Melbourne in May 1901; Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not included in writing the Constitution. Their lives were largely left to the states, and they were excluded from being counted in the national population until changes made by the 1967 referendum.