Federation of Australia

The political process that united the six self-governing Australian colonies as the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901.

Australian colonies: The six self-governing British colonies on the Australian continent before federation. Their separate governments were the units brought together as the Commonwealth.
Constitution of Australia: The supreme legal framework establishing Australia's federal institutions, powers, and system of government. It translated the federation agreement into binding rules for the new Commonwealth.
Edmund Barton: An Australian colonial politician who became the first prime minister of the Commonwealth. He led the federation campaign and headed the first national government.
Parliament of Australia: Australia's federal legislature, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Federation established a national parliament with authority over specified matters.
Australian colonial self-government: The system by which Australian colonies governed their internal affairs under the British Crown before federation. Federation joined self-governing colonies without immediately ending their local legislatures.
Australian nationalism: A political and cultural movement promoting a shared Australian identity and national self-government. Growing national identity helped turn colonial cooperation into a federation movement.
Federation referendums in Australia: Colonial popular votes held in the 1890s to approve or reject the proposed Australian Constitution. Voter approval supplied the political mandate for colonial union.
Henry Parkes: A New South Wales colonial premier who publicly championed Australian federation. His 1889 Tenterfield Oration helped revive the push for a federal convention.
Australian states and territories: The subnational jurisdictions that make up the Commonwealth of Australia. The six colonies became states, retaining powers within the federal system.
Canadian Confederation: The 1867 union that established the Dominion of Canada as a federal state. Canada offered a federal precedent, but Australia's conventions designed a distinct constitutional settlement.

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