Nationalism & Federation

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1. Leading Figures in the Federation Movement
   ‘Politicians from all six colonies helped make the Australian Commonwealth. Many were remarkable characters, some were powerful intellects. Together they contributed energy, imagination, political astuteness, a determination to defend local interests and a commitment to the Federation ideal. But if the Constitution was mostly the creation of bearded men, Federation was also the result of pressure from ordinary men and women who, on at least one occasion, revived the movement when the politicians appeared to have lost interest.’ A fascinating list. Individuals are detailed below.
2. Individual Figures
   Further detail about individual figures, including from the listing noted above.
• Anderson, Maybanke Susannah
  [New South Wales]
  Also known as Maybanke Susannah Wolstenhome [married name]. Historian, feminist, school owner, women’s suffragist. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Barton, Edmund
  Australia’s first Prime Minister and a leading light in the federation movement.
• Barton, Edmund [1]
  Information about the man, his role and his life from the National Museum of Australia.
• Barton, Edmund [2]
  Extensive information from the National Library of Australia. Includes access to his papers.
• Barton, Sir Edmund
  [New South Wales]
  Barrister, Federationist, Premier, Prime Minister, High Court Judge. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Clark, Andrew Inglis
  [Tasmania]
  Barrister, Federationist, judge, law reformer and university vice-chancellor. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Deakin, Alfred
  [Victorian]
  Barrister, Federationist and one of the first Prime Ministers. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. Also see the Guide to the Papers of Alfred Deakin from the National Library of Australia.
• Forrest, Sir John [Baron Forrest]
  [Western Australia]
  Explorer Federationist, Premier, Surveyor-General. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Garran, Sir Robert Randolph
  [New South Wales]
  Barrister, Federationist, political writer, First Australian Public Servant. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Griffith, Sir Samuel Walker
  [Queensland]
  Barrister, Federationist, High Court Judge, Chief Justice [he drafted the Judiciary Act which inaugurated the High Court], Premier. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Kingston, Charles Cameron
  [South Australia]
  Radical politician, barrister, Premier. Credited with extending the franchise to women in South Australia. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• O’Malley, King
  [Tasmania]
  Federationist, insurance agent, politician, anti-conscriptionist. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Parkes, Sir Henry
  ‘Father of Federation’, politician, activist and a man who died before Federation actually occurred.
• Parkes, Henry
  His emigration to Australia, self-government campaigner, premier several times in New South Wales, his literary works, references and other links. From wikipedia.
• Parkes, Sir Henry
  [New South Wales]
  Political activist, Federationist, Premier, Free Trade Politician. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Resources
  Annotated links to a range of resources from the Henry Parkes Foundation, including articles, commentary and more.
• Quick, Sir John
  [Victoria]
  Barrister, Federationist, industrial arbitrator, journalist, judge. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Reid, Sir George Houstoun
  [New South Wales]
  Barrister, Federationist, Prime Minister, public servant, High Commissioner. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
• Spence, Catherine Helen
  [South Australia]
  Charity worker, journalist, women’s activist, women’s suffragist. From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
3. Volume IV and V - Representatives from Colonies
   A copy of an original document listing all who attended the 1898 Australasian Federal Convention.

1. Centenary of Federation, The
   Information about, and actions stemming from, the Centenary of Federation in 2001.
• Australia’s Centenary of Federation
  ‘A directory of content, programs and events produced by the ABC to mark the 2001 Centenary of Australian Federation.’ A number of these sites are listed on this page.
• The Alfred Deakin Lectures
  [‘The Alfred Deakin Vision’]
  Access two transcripts from programs in this series, which look at Deakin’s vision and how it relates to today.
• Visions for a Nation
  ‘Visions for a Nation brought together five eminent Australians - former Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke, former Victorian Premier Joan Kirner, former Leader of the National Party Tim Fischer and Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer. They were joined by state debating champion and Brighton Secondary School student Aparna Rao in a provocative and entertaining evening of perspectives on Australia’s future.’ Part of the Centenary Celebrations.
2. Constitution, The :
• 2000 Boyer Lectures
  [The Rule of Law and the Constitution : The Hon. Murray Gleeson, AC]
  ‘In the context of Australia’s celebration of the Centenary of Federation next year [2001], Chief Justice Gleeson offers his thoughts on our Constitution, the rich history of law, our rights, and the importance of the court’s independence.’
• Beginner’s Guide to the Australian Constitution, The
  Download a .pdf copy of the guide, Free audio podcasts and a range of Free video podcasts on the topic.
• Constitution of Australia
  Includes historical information, the various articles, amendments, the role of the conventions, interpretation, criticism, notes, references and other links. From wikipedia.
• Research Paper 12 1996-97
  [The Need for a New Preamble to the Australian Constitution and/or a Bill of Rights]
  Looks at the major issues, recent reform initiatives, the Preamble and information relating to a possible Australian Bill of Rights with links to related charters and bills from around the world.
• The Australian Constitution [1]
  Full text plus sections on Federalism, a constitutional overview, constitutional reform, republic or monarchy and more.
• The Australian Constitution [2]
  A complete presentation from the Preamble to the Schedule. From Parliament [The Senate].
• The Australian Federal Constitution
  [A Guide to Net Resources]
  A reasonable listing of links. Not updated for several years.
3. Documents
   These include original documents, editorials of the time, cartoons, images and other documentary type resources.
• Australian Federation Full Text Database
  [The Federation Debates and Participant’s Writings]
  The Debates include Melbourne [1890], Sydney [1891], Corowa [1893], Bathurst [1896], Adelaide & Sydney [1897] and Melbourne [1898]. Each is available online or in .pdf downloads, as are the accounts and associated writings, which cover a range of topics. There is also a photograph of the 1890 Federal Council membership.
• Commonwealth Documents
  The first section covers a range of documents relating to Federation and the birth of the nation. The latter lists documents occurring as late as the 1980s. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 [UK] is one of those listed [see next].
• Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 [UK]
  Find its significance, history and description, then view all pages, or download the transcript in either .pdf or .rtf formats.
• Constitutional Documents
  [Evidence of a Successful Democratic Experiment]
  ‘Australia was the first country in the world to be created as a result of a free vote of its people. Our constitutional documents chart the evolution of our nation, and demonstrate how legal documents can shape the lives of a people and the destiny of a continent.’ Links to Documenting Democracy and UNESCO listing of these and includes follow up acts relating to national interests of the time.
• Editorials
  ‘As would be expected, the first January editions of Australian newspapers in 1901 prominently featured the Federation of the states. Editorial opinion reflected the variety of reactions to the creation of this new nation. Among other things the editors considered contemporary issues such as tariff protection versus free trade; canvassed the possibility of a ‘greater’ commonwealth; engaged in prescient discussion on the role of the Senate; and queried the extravagance of Federation celebrations.’ These are editorials from a range of Victorian papers.
• Federation Gallery
  ‘Seeing is believing ! The Federation Gallery contains a permanent exhibition that brings together seven key documents in Australia’s history’ From the National Archives.
• Parkes’ 1889 speech at Tenterfield
  Part of this speech as quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald.
• Records About The Formation of Australia
  ‘ The year 2001 marked a century since the union of Australia’s six colonial states. As the keeper of Australian Government records,the National Archives holds a rich store of Federation material.’ Multiple links access these. They include not only the Documenting a Democracy site, but also :
• Federation Album
  ‘An attractive selection of images and records from the National Archives collection,’, and
• Federation : The Guide to Records [also here for purchase], which is ‘a comprehensive online guide to Federation records around Australia, including a selection of images and documents.’
• Records of the Australasian Federal Conventions of the 1890s
  Records of the Melbourne 1890, Sydney 1891 and the three sessions of the 1897/8 conference [Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne], Covers all debates and some proceedings.
4. General Information :
• Federalism
  For information regarding Australian Federalism, see the Federalism section on this page.
  Scroll within this section.
• A Three Part Journey to Nationhood
  From the ABC. Access transcripts and excerpts from the various parts [Real Player] required.
• Australia Unite ! - Road to Federation
  ‘Australia Unite ! The Road to Federation celebrates Australia’s musical heritage from the years of the mid-late 1800s. Patriotic songs, waltzes, polkas and gallops are all presented here in an authentic style’ This is a Fee-based resource.
• Birth of Our Nation
  ‘Follows the path that led to nationhood and finds it was a journey punctuated by debate and deliberation, not the bullets and bloodshed typical of other great democracies.’ From the Courier-Mail. Looks at the past, leaders, timeline, then and now and images of history. Rudyard Kipling’s quote is fascinating !
• Closer Look
  [The First Parliament of Australia : The Ceremony]
  Use the Tom Robert’s painting as a basis to discuss the painting, who attended, includes extracts from The Age, and provides links to further information. Download the information as a .pdf document.
• Constitutional History of Australia
  The first section of this site covers the Federation process, with the latter part covering later constitutional actions including 1975 and the Republic. From wikipedia.
• Federation
  A presentation from the Culture and Recreation Portal. Information, links, related sources and more.
• Federation and The Army
  A brief explanation of the changes that occurred in the armed forces at the time of, and just after, Federation and the importance this had.
• Federation Fast Facts
  Covers background, arguments for and against, the issue of trade and links to the timeline and other resources. From Civics ź Citizenship Education.
• Federation - For and Against
  ‘The home page is set out as a concept map. The central button, called Federation : For and Against, links to a selection of documents on issues relating to Federation. The documents are arranged in three groups : Different Views on the Constitution and Regional Differences present opposing viewpoints about Federation, and Different Agendas contains selected platforms of different groups. Supporting the arguments For and Against are the themes.’ There is an image gallery, timeline, focus questions, biographical information and more.
• Federation of Australia [1]
  Includes the Federal idea, the early and later conventions, the Constitution, life in Australia at the time, notes, references and further links. From wikipedia.
• Federation Story
  From the ABC. ‘The history of Federation, the peaceful transition from colonies to Commonwealth and the major events that established the Commonwealth and shaped the nation are examined here in Federation Story.’ Seven sections are included. Each has an overview, Events, Places, People, Culture and Institutions.
• NLA Federation Gateway
  ‘The National Library of Australia’s Federation Gateway has been created to assist you to locate a wide variety of materials including books, web sites, pictures and manuscripts relating to the Federation of Australia.’
• Reshaping Australia’s Federation …[A New Contract for Federal-State Relations]
  ‘Australia’s system of federal-state relations is at a crossroads. The effectiveness of our current system of federalism will be determined by which road it takes …’ From the Business Council of Australia. Download files in .pdf format.
• Road to Federation
  A series of 17 short articles on different aspects of Federation and also its Centenary.
• The Australian Flag
  Adopted and then gazetted in 1903 in line with Federation. Other Australian flags and ensigns are also detailed.
• The Unification of Australia
  Looks at the Federation Story, reasons for and against Federation, a timeline and Primary Sources.
• Why New Zealand Did Not Become an Australian State
  ‘A study of nineteenth century Australasian politics, the purpose of this web page is to explain why New Zealand is defined as “a State” in the Australian Constitution and to list the reasons why, in the late nineteenth century, New Zealand choose not to become an Australian State.’ It also provides for reflection on this in the present.
• Year Book Australia, 1909
  [“The Federal Movement in Australia”]
  An extensive article in the Year Book from the Australian Bureau of Statistics of that year.
5. Life at The Time of Federation
   Information about everyday life during the move to Federation.
• Federation Ephemera
  ‘A selection of Australian Federation ephemera including photographs from the Alfred Lee family papers [electronic resource].’ From the State Library of NSW. Use the link ‘Connect to online version’ and then select the various items.
• Life at the Time of Federation
  ‘This unit of work encourages students to investigate what life was like in Australia at the time of Federation through an examination of a ‘time capsule’ containing seven key objects …. Students explore the meaning of these objects to reveal their role in our national identity and their importance in the Federation process.’ A range of .pdf downloads.
• Slices of Life 1890-1910
  ‘Explore this site to discover what life was like at the time of Federation.’
• The Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation Project
  ‘Focuses on the private, community and public life of Australia’s Chinese communities before and after Federation in 1901.’
• Unfinished Business
  ‘Unfinished Business is Radio National’s social history series covering Federation. Here is a full text of the episode concerning the actual day of Federation - A Nation in a Day. This is a long document [it runs to 27 printed pages so please bear with the download time.’
6. States & Federation, The :
• Advance Australia : South Australia and Federation
  ‘This publication grew out of requests for information, and for help in locating sources about the Federation of the Australian colonies, particularly South Australia’s involvement. [It] provides a substantial point of reference to anyone interested in the development of our nation and South Australia’s role in it.’ Introduction, general sources, SA sources, Federation images, links and search capacity.
• Australia’s Federation
  From Museum Victoria. Use their Information Sheets which cover a range of topics, find information on the Melbourne Celebrations of 1901, The Royal Exhibition Building and use the provided links and other resources.
• Our Nation’s First Capital
  ‘Federation and the City of Melbourne, 1901-27.’
• The Making of Queensland - Trails to Federation
  ‘ABC Local Radio in Queensland in conjunction with the Queensland Heritage Trails Network have produced this 250 part series on Federation.’ The site is now archived but you can play the parts using RealAudio format.
• WA - Popular Referendum on Australian Federation
  Provides all the statistical detail on this.
• Western Australia and Federation
  Covers the lead up to federation, possible secession in the 1930s and issues that existed in 2001.
7. Student Activities & Resources
   Includes webquests and other activities.
• Australian Federation, 1901
  ‘A set of study materials for Years 7-10 Australian History’ from the NSW Board of Studies.
• Centenary of Federation Play Kit
  ‘Students take up the compelling challenge of saving Australia from oblivion in this science-fiction play.’
• Federactive
  ‘Test your knowledge about Federation and a century of the Australian Nation. Solve a puzzle, complete a quiz or investigate a Centenary arch.’ Created by the ABC as part of the Centenary of Federation celebrations.
• Federation of Australia [2]
  Done by a teacher at a Queensland primary school. It includes sections on life before 1901, what federation means, did people want federation, how the nation was created, images, information on Parkes and Barton, links and more.
• Federation of Australia Web Quests
  ‘These Web Quests were developed by a team of Education Queensland teachers.’
• Federator
  [An Australian Federation WebQuest]
  ‘Your challenge is to use the same technology and go back to around the time of Australia’s Federation [before 1901] and make sure the F-900s do not succeed in destroying the Federation. To do this you will be researching Federation, the events and people leading up to Federation.’
• Why Do People Decide that Governments Should Federate ?
  Teaching and learning activities from the Discovering Democracy Unit covering the Federation process in Australia.
8. Timelines & Chronologies :
• Australia’s Constitutional Milestones
  A listing in tabular form with date, brief details of the event[s] and the resultant source documents. It goes from the development of self-government through to 1999, with a large section covering the Federation era.
• A Timeline of Events at The Time of Federation
  Starts in 1897 and goes through to September 1901. From Civics ź Citizenship Education.
• Chronology of the Australian Federation Movement, 1883-1901
  Provides, in tabular form, dates and related events during this period.

This section is still to be fully developed as we have worked to stay away from links leading to sites we consider are pushing negative, rather than positive or explanatory, points of view.
1. 1998 Boyer Lectures
   [A Spirit of Play : The Making of Australian Consciousness]
   ‘What has made us into Australians ? What blend of circumstances and influence has been at play to form a character, a place that we recognise as our own ? Australia’s history since settlement has been an interplay of inventiveness and openness - a spirit of play - against the fears of our isolation and difficult beginnings. David Malouf examines how we have managed to encompass and reconcile newness with continuity.’ Full transcripts of all the lectures in the series.
2. A Crisis of National Meaning …
   [Prime Ministers and The Dilemma of Australian Nationalism]
   A presentation by Dr James Curran, from the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library at Curtin University. Looks at the modern era for this.
3. Australian Nationalism
   At times irreverent, but still tackling the position of ‘we’ and ‘them’.
4. Belonging
   [Who Shaped Australia - An Exhibition]
   An exhibition that predicates its message on two themes - People and Places. There are multiple sections in each.
5. Colony and Empire
   [Australia’s Subservient Relationship With Britain]
   ‘This publication looks at the ongoing subservience of Australia to Britain, British institutions, and British politicians. While the nature of this subservient relationship has changed, both in direction and in degree, it still continues. The aim here is to give a broad background to Australia’s subservient relationship with Britain.’
6. Forging the Nation
   [Federation - The First 20 Years]
   ‘Forging the nation, federation - the first 20 years explores our spirit and identity from Bushman to Digger.’ An exhibition from the Australian War Memorial created during the Centenary celebrations.
7. Music : Australian Nationalism
   From the State Library of Australia. A selection of musical items with often extensive information about individual items relating to nationalism.
8. People and Place
   ‘Welcome to People and Place, a quarterly publication by the Centre for Population and Urban Research,’ Monash University. A mix of abstracts for the latest issues and Free articles from earlier issues. You will need to search to find relevant articles.
9. States of Mind : Australia & New Zealand
   ‘Stuart Macintyre on federation and the centenary of federation in Australia and New Zealand, and unfinished business. Meanwhile, Phil Somerville finds he’s moderately fond of Australia.’ A mix of federation input, relations between the two countries and nationalism.
10. The Idea of Australia
    ‘How does Australia imagine itself ? And how have we changed the way we imagine ourselves as Australians in the years since 1901 ? This session looks at the myths and stories and archetypes that shape our identity as Australians and engage the country in a national conversation.’ These two sessions are from The Alfred Deakin Lectures. Full transcripts are available.
11. The Last Man …
    [The Making of Andrew Fisher and the Australian Labor Party]
    ‘On the eve of the centenary since Fisher’s first government in 1908, Professor David Day examines Fisher’s pivotal role as a nation builder and why his achievements have been previously overlooked.’ Transcript and downloadable audio [file size 60.3mb] available.
12. The Nationalism Project
    ‘The Nationalism Project is one of the most widely used nationalism studies resources on the Internet and provides users with a clearinghouse of scholarly nationalism information including : leading definitions of nationalism, book reviews, web links, subject bibliographies, a bibliography of more than 2 000 journal articles, and much more.’ Covers many countries and includes articles, journals, resources, research centres and more. The What is Nationalism ? page may prove the most valuable.