Monthly Archives: March 2014

AUSTRALIA’S FEDERATION: NOTHING MORE THAN THE STORY OF HOW SIX BRITISH COLONIES BECAME ONE

Almost all Australians believe they achieved their national independence upon Federation in 1901.  But in reality, all that happened then was that six British colonies located in Australia were merged to become a single, albeit enlarged British colony.

These days, even banana republics take their national independence for granted and proudly display their own post-colonial constitutions, parliaments and flags to demonstrate it not just to their citizens but also to the rest of the world. Here in Australia, however, our own numerous but hesitant steps since 1901 towards full independence have left us bereft of even a constitution or flag worthy of the name — yet these are simply the most modest of all post-colonial underwear.

THE ORIGINS OF AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY

Slowly but surely, Australia has been gaining in national identity ever since the name “Australia” was chosen by the noted navigator, Matthew Flinders, to refer to the combined area of New South Wales — the eastern two-thirds of the continent — and New Holland — the western third — after Flinders was the first person to circum-navigate the country in 1803.

But the new name “Australia” gathered popularity only slowly until 1817, when the Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, who happened to like it himself, asked the British Colonial Office to start officially using it. So, much to our benefit, they did.