When did Australia become a federation?
Australia became a federation on 1 January 1901, when six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. The ceremony was held in Centennial Park, Sydney.
Before Federation, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania were separate colonies, each with its own government, laws, tariffs and even railway gauges.
Leaders such as Henry Parkes, Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin campaigned for a united nation. Constitutional conventions in the 1890s drafted a constitution, which voters in each colony approved in referendums between 1898 and 1900.
The new nation
The British Parliament passed the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act in 1900. On 1 January 1901, Lord Hopetoun was sworn in as the first Governor-General, and Edmund Barton became the first Prime Minister.
The first federal Parliament opened on 9 May 1901 in Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building. Melbourne served as the temporary capital until Canberra was ready in 1927.
New Zealand took part in early discussions but chose not to join. Western Australia was the last colony to agree, voting in July 1900.
Did You Know?
The Federation Pavilion in Centennial Park marks the spot where the Commonwealth was proclaimed.