• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
POLITICAL CHRONOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA
(Author Unknown)
Propaganda, such as the myth that the Commonwealth Constitution is the “expression of the will of the people” voted in at a referendum by the Australian people is destroyed by the fact that at least92.3% of the population, i.e. all women and most men were not allowed to vote in the referendum.Whatever the referendums were they were clearly not an “expression of the will of the people.”The historical development of government is as follows for the original colony, New South Waleswith the other colonies varying slightly.Definition:
To understand the meaning of many of the following items it is necessary to understand that Letters Patent are the means by which a sovereign appoints a Vice-Regal representative, a Governor General or Governor capable of giving Royal Assent to Act of Parliament and appointing officersof the Crown (i.e. ministers, judges, magistrates, police officers and members of the armed forcesetc..) Under UK. law the Queen of the United Kingdom can only issue Letters Patent to one of her  subjects, a British citizen. Letters Patent cannot be issued to a foreigner.
1.Stage One, 1788 to 1823. Government by absolute decree of the Governor of the Colony.2.Stage 2 1823 -1842 Governor of Colony assisted by nominated legislature with advisory powersonly.3.Stage 3. 1842-1856 two thirds of legislature elected by freeholders (ie. landowners) plus a fewothers. Colonial constitutions introduced.All three eastern colonies attained colonial self government by legislature in 1856 with constitutionsfor NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania created by the Imperial Parliament while South Australia’scolonial constitution was passed in South Australia under direction from the British Government.Victoria was divided from NSW in 1851 to form a separate colony. Queensland was separated from NSW in 18594.Failed attempt by British Government in late 1850s to create federation. Foundered because of distrust between the colonies.
5.
Referendum 3
rd
and 4
th
June 1898 in colonies other than Western Australia. Number of votes for the draft constitution 219,712 and 108,363 against the constitution. Total population accordingto the census 3.7 million. Since the franchise was on a property basis to British citizens alonesome voters exercised as many as six votes in this referendum. Total number of British citizenscasting ballots in the referendum appears to be in the order of 240,000, i.e. 6.4% of the population excluding Western Australia. Since the figure in NSW failed to passed the minimummajority required by the Enabling Act of 1897 the referendum was “Deemed to be rejected.”Western Australia did not vote until after the second referendum.
6.
Draft constitution transmitted to London, amended by the Colonial Office and enacted by theImperial Parliament on 9
th
. July 1900 as “An Act to Constitute of the Commonwealth of Australia “ Section One of the Act allows a short title to be used “The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act.” without altering the colonial nature of the legislation.The following quotations express the clear understanding of the founding fathers of the constitutionthat they had not sought or been granted independence.
Political Chronology of Australia - Page 1
 
a.
Alfred Deakin:
“There is no pretence of claiming the power of peace or war, or exercising  power outside our territories”.
 b.
Samuel Griffith:
“We do not take anything away from the Parliament of Great  Britain”
c.
John Forrest:
“If we were founding an independent nation it might be a very appropriateterm. That, however, is not the case”. John Forrest was objecting to using the name ‘TheCommonwealth of Australia”.
d.
Henry Parkes:
“Federation is not independence. It is a chance for the colonies moreeffectively to unite with the Mother country informing an Empire such as has never yet been formed”.
e.
Charles Kingston:
“The Federation must be consistent with allegiance to the Crown and the power of the Imperial Parliament to legislate for the whole of the Empire if it choses”.
f.
Dr. J. Quick & R.R. Garran: Authors of 
“The Annotated Constitution of the AustralianCommonwealth”
written in 1901. Both played major roles in the actual drafting of theCommonwealth of Australia Constitution Act. The work was reprinted by Legal Books in1995. The quote is taken from page 367.
“Imperial Relationship:- By the preamble the Commonwealth is declared to be “Under theCrown;” it is constitutionally a subordinate, and not an independent Sovereign community, or  state. But its population is so great, its territory so vast, the obvious scope and intention of the scheme of union are so comprehensive, whilst its political organization is of such a superior type,that it is entitled to a designation which, whilst not conveying the idea of complete sovereignty and independence, will serve to distinguish it from an ordinary provincial society”.
The source of most of these quotations is a series of documents recording the proceedings of committees in 1900 prior to the dispatch of the draft constitution to the United Kingdom plus “TheAnnotated Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth” published in 1901
7.“The Commonwealth of Australia, as a colony of the UK - the word Dominion did not comeinto use until the passing of a resolution at the 1911 Imperial Conference - had limited internal  self government in 1901.” I.M. Cumpston, Emeritus Reader in Commonwealth History,University of London (- History of Australian Foreign Policy 1901-1991).
8. January 22
nd
1901. Death of Queen Victoria. Under Bill of Rights 1689 and other British lawall writs of the Sovereign, including Letters Patent, die with the sovereign. New Letters Patentrequired for continuation of the role of Governor General of Australia not issued by the newking.9. 1914. King George V declares war on Germany on behalf of Great Britain and its coloniesincluding Australia.
10. October 1, 1918. Turkish troops in Damascus defeated by Anzac forces refuse to surrender to colonialforces. Formal surrender has to wait until British officers arrive weeks later.
11.The British Dominion of the Commonwealth of Australia, a colony of the United Kingdom, asa member of the British Empire contingent, joins the peace conference at Versailles on 13January 1919 with William Hughes and Sir Joseph Cook as its representatives.12.Supported by the 1917 Imperial War Conference resolution (Article IX) and argument with thePresident of the United States, William Hughes and Sir Joseph Cook gain independentrepresentation and sign the Peace Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. “Australia is now anation by virtue of God and the British Empire” said Hughes after signing the treaty.
2
 
13. Prime Minister Hughes addresses Federal Parliament on 10 September 1919
“By thisrecognition Australia became a nation, and entered into a family of nations on a footing of equality. We had earned that, or, rather, our soldiers had earned it for us.”
14.On 10 January 1920 the League of Nations becomes part of international law with Australia asone of the 29 original Member States, its sovereign nation status and political independenceguaranteed under Article X of the League’s Covenant. The British Dominion of theCommonwealth of Australia ceases to exist in law.15.Statement by Sir Geoffrey Butler KBE, MA and Fellow, Librarian and Lecturer in InternationalLaw and Diplomacy of Corpus Christi College, CAMBRIDGE, author of “A Handbook to theLeague of Nations” used as a reference to the League by all nations at that time. He refers toArticle I of the Covenant of the League of Nations.
“It is arguable that this article is the Covenant’s most significant single measure. By it the British Dominions, namely, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Canada, have their independent nationhood established for the first time. There may be friction over small mattersin giving effect to this internationally acknowledged fact, but the Dominions will always look tothe League of Nations Covenant as their Declaration of Independence.”
16.The League of Nations confirms Australia’s mandated territories of Nauru and German NewGuinea on 17 December 1920. The mandates are confirmed in the name of the nation of Australia as a Member State of the League.17.Sir Joseph Cook becomes the first Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom on 11 November 1921. The United Kingdom recognises the sovereignty of Australia by theacceptance of his credentials. (During the ceremony King George V welcomed” therepresentative of our ex colony, the newly independent nation of Australia.”18.G.F. Pearce represents Australia at the Washington conference from 12 November 1921 to 6February 1922 resulting in the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, Australia’s first treatywith a foreign nation.19.1926 Inter-Imperial Relations Committee of the 1926 Imperial Conference issues declarationon absolute equality of the dominions with the United Kingdom. Predates Statute of Westminster by 5 years.20.H.V. Evatt and F.M. Forde represent Australia at the 50 nation United Nations Conferenceon International Organization in San Francisco from 25 April 1945 through 26 June 1945.Australia signs the United Nations Charter as a foundation Member State on 26 June 1945.The United Nations Organization replaces the League of Nations which is terminated in1946.Australia’s sovereign nation status guaranteed by the Charter of the United Nations. (Article 2 paragraphs 1 and 4 plus various resolutions).21.In Namibia Case of 1971 (ref 1CJ1971,16.) the International Court of Justice rules that allMember States of the United Nations have accepted a legal obligation under Articles 55 and 56of the united Nations Charter to recognise and implement all the human rights obligations inthe Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and under other U.N. instrument.22.1973 Royal Styles and Titles Act passed by Commonwealth Parliament - reserved for signature by the Queen. Act removes the status of Queen of the United Kingdom in Australia andsubstitutes the title “Queen of Australia.” As the 1901 constitution only recognises the Queenof the United Kingdom (Section 2 of the Constitution Act this effectively removes the Queen
3
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...