Federation in Australia Year 6 – 2014 By Ethan Barnes

What factors led to Federation in Australia? Defence Uniform rail system National Pride Immigration

Defence Before Federation the colonies had their own small armies and they were not strong enough to defend a large country like Australia. Federation of Australia meant that the States could combine their men and resources to make it more powerful.

Uniform rail system Before Federation the States had different gauge rail lines which made it difficult to move goods and people from one State to the next. Through Federation, changing the rail gauge to one size would allow for less complicated rail movements across the continent. This would also save time and money.

National Pride Most Colonists spoke English and had similar culture and heritage. They increasingly began to identify as Australian rather than British. The NSW Premier at the time (Sir Henry Parkes) was quoted as saying, ‘the crimson thread of kinship that runs through us all’.

Immigration Australia today is a multicultural nation however in the 19th century many people wanted to identify with British heritage. It was felt that Federation would allow for better control of immigration.

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