83-520: The Coolgardie Miner (18 April 1894 – 16 June 1911) was a weekly newspaper established in Coolgardie, Western Australia , at a time when Coolgardie was the prominent town in the goldfields region of Western Australia. The subsequent publication with the same title (1 March 1913 – 29 December 1917) was published in a time when Kalgoorlie was dominating the goldfields, and Coolgardie's decline as centre had set in. The third newspaper with this name
166-473: A General Assembly of the Australian Colonies. This assembly was proposed to legislate on intercolonial matters, including tariffs, railways, lighthouses, penal settlements, gold and the mail. This was the first outline of the future Australian Commonwealth to be presented in an official colonial legislative report. On 19 August 1857, Deas Thomson moved for a NSW Parliamentary Select Committee on
249-532: A biography of Andrew Inglis Clark by F.M. Neasey and L.J. Neasey published by the University of Tasmania Law Press in 2001. The traditional view attached almost sole responsibility for the 1891 draft to Griffith. Quick and Garran, for instance, state curtly that Griffith "had the chief hand in the actual drafting of the Bill". Given that the authors of this highly respected work were themselves active members of
332-826: A constitution for the Commonwealth. Sir Henry Parkes , Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, was instrumental in this process. Sir Edmund Barton , second only to Parkes in the length of his commitment to the federation cause, was the caretaker Prime Minister of Australia at the inaugural national election in March 1901. The election returned Barton as prime minister, though without a majority. This period has lent its name to an architectural style prevalent in Australia at that time, known as Federation architecture , or Federation style. As early as 1842, an anonymous article in
415-495: A draft Bill proposing a confederation of the Australian colonies, with each colony given equal representation in an intercolonial assembly, a proposal subsequently endorsed by his association. He further proposed a "permissive Act" be passed by Parliament allowing the colonies of Australia or any subset of them which was not a penal settlement to federate at will. Wentworth, hoping to garner as broad support as possible, proposed
498-476: A federal government that was responsible for matters concerning the whole nation. When the Constitution of Australia came into force, on 1 January 1901, the colonies collectively became states of the Commonwealth of Australia. The efforts to bring about federation in the mid-19th century were dogged by the lack of popular support for the movement. A number of conventions were held during the 1890s to develop
581-413: A federal government with more power to legislate on issues such as wages and prices. They also regarded the proposed senate as much too powerful, with the capacity to block attempts at social and political reform, much as the colonial upper houses were quite openly doing at that time. Religious factors played a small but not trivial part in disputes over whether federation was desirable or even possible. As
664-456: A general rule, pro-federation leaders were Protestants, while Catholics' enthusiasm for federation was much weaker, not least because Parkes had been militantly anti-Catholic for decades (and because the labour movement was disproportionately Catholic in its membership). For all that, many Irish could feel an attractive affinity between the cause of Home Rule in Ireland – effectively federalizing
747-611: A long-time admirer of American federal institutions, introduced the US Constitution as an example of the protection of States' rights. He presented it as an alternative to the Canadian model, arguing that Canada was "an instance of amalgamation rather than Federation." A model closer to that of the United States was endorsed, with states able to act completely independently apart from those limited powers transferred to
830-542: A loose association of the colonies, which was criticised by Robert Lowe . The secretary of state subsequently opted not to introduce the Bill stating it would probably lead to "dissension and discontent", distributing it nonetheless to the colonies for their responses. While there was in-principle support for a union of the colonies, the matter was ultimately deferred while NSW Premier Charles Cowper and Henry Parkes preferred to focus on liberalising Wentworth's squatter-friendly constitution. A serious movement for Federation of
913-570: A number of issues including federation, communication, Chinese immigration, vine diseases and uniform tariff rates. The Federation had the potential to ensure that throughout the continent, trade and interstate commerce would be unaffected by protectionism and measurement and transport would be standardised. The final (and successful) push for a Federal Council came at an Intercolonial Convention in Sydney in November and December 1883. The trigger
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#1732798739271996-401: A plan for a "General Assembly" of the colonies. The idea was quietly dropped. However, it prompted the statesman William Wentworth to propose in the following year the establishment of "a Congress from the various Colonial Legislatures" to legislate on "inter-colonial questions". On 28 July 1853, a select committee formed by Wentworth to draft a new constitution for New South Wales proposed
1079-598: A private working document, and was never published. The Parliament proposed at the Convention of 1891 was to adopt the nomenclature of the United States Congress ; a House of Representatives and a Senate. The House of Representatives was to be elected by districts drawn up on the basis of their population, while in the Senate there was to be equal representation for each "province". This American model
1162-597: A relatively young and transient population. Similar to the other structures, simple mud and tin-roofed mosques were initially constructed in the town. All of the Afghan Muslim population eventually relocated from Coolgardie generally to Perth, the new capital of Western Australia. Racism was very common towards the Afghan cameleers. There were reports of unsolved murders, and torture of Afghan-owned animals. Great Eastern Highway ( National Highway 94 ) runs through
1245-475: A total of 128) of the final Australian Constitution are recognisable in Clark's draft, and that "only eight of Inglis Clark's ninety-six clauses failed to find their way into the final Australian Constitution"; but these are potentially misleading statistics. As Professor John Williams has pointed out: It is easy to point to the document and dismiss it as a mere "cut and paste" from known provisions. While there
1328-416: Is not as crisp or clean as Kingston's 1891 draft Constitution. This is not so much a reflection on Inglis Clark, but an acknowledgement of the talents of Charles Kingston and Sir Samuel Griffith as drafters. They were direct and economical with words. The same cannot always be said of Inglis Clark. The apparent enthusiasm of 1891 rapidly ebbed in the face of opposition from Henry Parkes' rival, George Reid, and
1411-481: Is some validity in such observations it does tend to overlook the fact that there are very few variations to be added once the basic structure is agreed. So for instance, there was always going to be parts dealing with the executive, the parliament and the judiciary in any Australian constitution. The fact that Inglis Clark modelled his on the American Constitution is no surprise once that basic decision
1494-555: Is the Constitution of 1900, not its father or grandfather." In the twenty-first century, however, a lively debate has sprung up as to whether the principal credit for this draft belongs to Queensland's Sir Samuel Griffith or Tasmania's Andrew Inglis Clark . The debate began with the publication of Peter Botsman's The Great Constitutional Swindle: A Citizen's Guide to the Australian Constitution in 2000, and
1577-520: The Melbourne Argus . Frederick Vosper was editor some time before April 1895. Alfred Thomas Chandler was editor from 1896 to 1905. Don Cameron was printer around 1895 to 1900. C. A. MacFarlane was editor in 1905. Harry Kneebone was editor in 1907, and still in the position when publication ceased in 1911. On 1 March 1913 a new newspaper appeared with the same title, the proprietors being named as A. McIntyre and W. L. Michell. It
1660-837: The Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program , a project of the National Library of Australia in cooperation with the State Library of Western Australia . Hard copy and microfilm copies of the Coolgardie Miner are also available at the State Library of Western Australia. Coolgardie, Western Australia Coolgardie is a small town in Western Australia , 558 kilometres (347 mi) east of
1743-708: The Imperial Parliament to enact the Federal Council of Australasia Act 1885 . As a result, a Federal Council of Australasia was formed, to represent the affairs of the colonies in their relations with the South Pacific islands. New South Wales and New Zealand did not join. The self-governing colonies of Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, as well as the Crown Colonies of Western Australia and Fiji , became involved. South Australia
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#17327987392711826-565: The London Stock Exchange . The town also supported a wide variety of businesses and services, including the railway connection between Perth and Kalgoorlie, a swimming pool (first public baths in the state), many hotels and several newspapers. The value of Coolgardie to the colony in the late 1890s was so very significant that it was used as leverage to force Western Australia to join the Australian federation . Britain and
1909-831: The South Australian Magazine called for a "Union of the Australasian Colonies into a Governor-Generalship." In September 1846, the NSW Colonial Secretary Sir Edward Deas Thomson suggested federation in the New South Wales Legislative Council . The Governor of New South Wales , Sir Charles Fitzroy , then wrote to the United Kingdom's Colonial Office suggesting a "superior functionary" with power to review
1992-538: The Australasian colonies was held in 1890. This led to the first National Australasian Convention , meeting in Sydney in 1891. New Zealand was represented at both the conference and the Convention, although its delegates indicated that it would be unlikely to join the Federation at its foundation, but it would probably be interested in doing so at a later date. The Australasian Federal Conference of 1890 met at
2075-742: The Australian Commonwealth in 1901, which is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative works on the Australian Constitution. ) In March 1897 took place the Australasian Federal Convention Elections , and several weeks later the delegates gathered for the Convention's first session in Adelaide , later meeting in Sydney, and finally in Melbourne in March 1898. After the Adelaide meeting,
2158-524: The British Government. The Constitution also provided for the establishment of a High Court , and divided the powers of government between the states and the new Commonwealth government. The states retained their own parliaments, along with the majority of existing powers, but the federal government would be responsible of issues defence, immigration, quarantine, customs, banking and coinage, among other powers. Australian federation entailed
2241-445: The Commonwealth of Australia, establishing a system of federalism in Australia . The colonies of Fiji and New Zealand were originally part of this process, but they decided not to join the federation. Following federation, the six colonies that united to form the Commonwealth of Australia as states kept the systems of government (and the bicameral legislatures) that they had developed as separate colonies, but they also agreed to have
2324-631: The Coolgardie gold rush occurred in 1894, the Afghan cameleers (so-called, although some of them did not originate in Afghanistan) were quick to move in. The goldfields could not have continued without the food and water they transported. In March that year, a caravan of six Afghans, forty-seven camels and eleven calves, set out across the desert from Marree to the goldfield. It arrived in July with
2407-455: The Council did not have a permanent secretariat, executive powers, or any revenue of its own. Furthermore, the absence of the powerful colony of New South Wales weakened its representative value. Nevertheless, it was the first major form of inter-colonial co-operation. It provided an opportunity for Federalists from around the country to meet and exchange ideas. The means by which the Council
2490-720: The Easter weekend in 1891, Griffith edited Clark's draft aboard the Queensland Government's steam yacht Lucinda . (Clark was not present, as he was ill with influenza in Sydney). Griffith's draft Constitution was submitted to colonial parliaments but it lapsed in New South Wales , after which the other colonies were unwilling to proceed. The importance of the draft Constitution of 1891 was recognised by John La Nauze when he flatly declared that "The draft of 1891
2573-548: The Federal Parliament. The main division of opinion centred on the contention of Alfred Deakin , that the lower house must be supreme, as opposed to the views of Barton, John Cockburn and others, that a strong Senate with co-ordinate powers was essential. Griffith himself recommended that the doctrine of responsible government should be left open, or substantially modified to accord with the Federal structure. Over
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2656-627: The Opposition); Tasmania, Andrew Inglis Clark (Attorney-General) and Stafford Bird (Treasurer); Western Australia, Sir James George Lee Steere (Speaker); New Zealand, Captain William Russell (Colonial Secretary) and Sir John Hall . When the conference met at the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne on 6 February, the delegates were confronted with a scorching summer maximum temperature of 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in
2739-401: The United Kingdom – and the federation of the Australian colonies. Federationists such as Edmund Barton, with the full support of his righthand man Richard O'Connor, were careful to maintain good relations with Irish opinion. In the early 1890s, two meetings established the need for federation and set the framework for this to occur. An informal meeting attended by official representatives from
2822-421: The average tariff increased relative to the average of the individual colonies' average tariffs prior to federation, according to estimates produced by Melbourne economist Peter Lloyd. Nevertheless, the welfare-enhancing effect of the elimination of tariffs on interstate trade dominated the welfare-reducing effect of higher tariffs on overseas imports, such that the net static welfare gain from Australian federation
2905-626: The camels, carrying between 135 and 270 kilograms (298 and 595 lb) each, in good condition. Another fifty-eight camels for Coolgardie arrived by ship in Albany in September. By 1898 there were 300 members of the Muslim community in Coolgardie and 80 on average attended Friday prayer. Coolgardie held the main Muslim community in the colony at that time. There was not one Muslim woman amongst them, no marriages were performed and no burials, reflecting
2988-484: The cause of Federation. Gillies's response was predictably cool, given the reluctance of Parkes to bring New South Wales into the Federal Council. In October Parkes travelled north to Brisbane and met with Griffith and Sir Thomas McIlwraith . On the return journey, he stopped just south of the colonial border, and delivered the historic Tenterfield Oration on 24 October 1889, stating that the time had come for
3071-584: The cautious conversion of George Reid to the federal cause. At the close of the Corowa Conference John Quick had advanced a scheme of a popularly elected convention, tasked to prepare a constitution, which would then be put to a referendum in each colony. Winning the support of George Reid, premier of NSW from 1894, the Quick scheme was approved by all premiers in 1895. (Quick and Robert Garran later published The Annotated Constitution of
3154-451: The colonial parliaments took the opportunity to debate the emerging bill and to suggest changes. The basic principles of the 1891 draft constitution were adopted, modified by a consensus for more democracy in the constitutional structure. It was agreed that the Senate should be chosen, directly, by popular vote, rather than appointed by state governments. On other matters there was considerable disagreement. State interests inevitably fractured
3237-457: The colonies arose in the late 1880s, a time when there was increasing nationalism amongst Australians, the great majority of whom were native-born. The idea of being Australian began to be celebrated in songs and poems. This was fostered by improvements in transport and communications, such as the establishment of a telegraph system between the colonies in 1872. The Australian colonies were also influenced by other federations that had emerged around
3320-536: The colonies to consider Australian federation. Through the latter part of 1889, the premiers and governors corresponded and agreed for an informal meeting to be called. The membership was: New South Wales, Parkes (Premier) and William McMillan (Colonial Treasurer); Victoria, Duncan Gillies (Premier) and Alfred Deakin (Chief Secretary); Queensland, Sir Samuel Griffith (Leader of the Opposition) and John Murtagh Macrossan (Colonial Secretary); South Australia, Dr. John Cockburn (Premier) and Thomas Playford (Leader of
3403-557: The creation of both a customs and a fiscal union. With respect to the customs union, tariffs were abolished on interstate trade (although this process occurred on a phased basis in Western Australia), while all of the colonies adopted the Commonwealth's common external tariff schedule in October 1901. The first federal (Commonwealth) was widely regarded as protectionist; indeed, with respect to imports from outside of Australia,
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3486-468: The debates he assisted (Sir) Samuel Griffith, (Sir) Edmund Barton and Charles Cameron Kingston in revising Griffith's original draft of the adopted constitution on the Queensland government's steam yacht, Lucinda; though he was too ill to be present when the main work was done, his own draft had been the basis for most of Griffith's text. Clark's supporters are quick to point out that 86 Sections (out of
3569-435: The east coast, but these had mostly been exhausted by the 1890s. With the discovery of a new goldfield, an entire new gold rush began, with thousands flocking to the area. The Municipality of Coolgardie was established in 1894. By 1898, Coolgardie was the third largest town in the colony, with an estimated population of 5,008 (3,151 men and 1,857 women). At its peak, 700 mining companies based in Coolgardie were registered with
3652-465: The eastern colonies threatened to create a new state to be named Auralia around Coolgardie and other regional goldfields, such as Kalgoorlie , if the government in Perth did not agree to hold a referendum on federation. The Western Australian government reluctantly complied and a referendum was held just in time to become a founding state in the new federation. When federation did occur in 1901, Coolgardie
3735-712: The executive and the legislature. Clark's draft also differed from the adopted constitution in his proposal for "a separate federal judiciary", with the new Supreme Court replacing the Privy Council as the highest court of appeal on all questions of law, which would be "a wholesome innovation upon the American system". He became a member of the Constitutional Committee and chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Although he took little part in
3818-524: The federal government and where each state would be represented equally in a strong second chamber—the Senate. Andrew Inglis Clark had given considerable thought towards a suitable constitution for Australia. In May 1890, he travelled to London to conduct an appeal on behalf of the Government of Tasmania before the Privy Council . During this trip, he began writing a draft constitution, taking
3901-598: The federal movement, it may be presumed that this view represents—if not the complete truth—then, at least, the consensus opinion among Australia's "founding fathers". In his 1969 entry on "Clark, Andrew Inglis (1848–1907)" for the Australian Dictionary of Biography , Henry Reynolds offers a more nuanced view: Before the National Australasian Convention in Sydney in 1891 [Clark] circulated his own draft constitution bill. This
3984-432: The form of government that a federation would take. Experience of other federations was less than inspiring. In particular, the United States had experienced its traumatic civil war . The nascent Australian labour movement was less than wholly committed in its support for federation. On the one hand, nationalist sentiment was strong within the labour movement and there was much support for the idea of White Australia . On
4067-607: The great model of plural governance would always be the British Empire, which was not a federation. The Australasian Federal Convention dissolved on 17 March 1898 having adopted a bill "To Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia." Referendums on the proposed constitution were held in four of the colonies in June 1898. There were majority votes in all four, however, the enabling legislation in New South Wales required
4150-410: The harsh conditions, but for a few, their find made the hard work worthwhile. Most men, however, left poorer than they had started off, with their hopes dashed. Coolgardie was founded in 1892, when gold was discovered in the area known as Fly Flat by prospectors Arthur Wellesley Bayley and William Ford . Australia had seen several major gold rushes over the previous three decades, mostly centred on
4233-569: The instigation of Parkes. Accounts of its origin commonly commence with Lord Carrington , the Governor of New South Wales , goading the ageing Parkes at a luncheon on 15 June 1889. Parkes reportedly boasted that he "could confederate these colonies in twelve months". Carrington retorted, "Then why don't you do it? It would be a glorious finish to your life." Parkes the next day wrote to the Premier of Victoria , Duncan Gillies , offering to advance
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#17327987392714316-526: The legislation of all the colonies. In 1853, FitzRoy was appointed as Governor of Van Diemen's Land , South Australia and Victoria – a pre-federation governor-general of Australia , with wide-ranging powers to intervene in inter-colonial disputes. This title was also extended to his immediate successor, William Denison . In 1847 the Secretary of State for the Colonies Earl Grey drew up
4399-615: The main provisions of the British North America Act, 1867 and its supplements up through 1890, the US Constitution, the Federal Council of Australasia Act , and various Australian colonial constitutions. Clark returned from London by way of Boston , Massachusetts, where he held discussions about his draft with Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. , and Moncure Conway among others. Clark's draft introduced
4482-428: The new federal capital would be located in New South Wales, but at least a hundred miles (160 km) distant from Sydney; and, in the circumstances of a double dissolution, reducing from six tenths to one half the requisite majority to legislate of a subsequent joint meeting of Senate and House. In June 1899, referendums on the revised constitution were held again in all the colonies except for Western Australia , where
4565-582: The nomenclature and form which was subsequently adopted: Upon his return to Hobart in early November 1890, with the technical aid of W. O. Wise , the Tasmanian Parliamentary Draftsman, Clark completed the final form of the Draft Constitution and had a number of copies printed. In February 1891, Clark circulated copies of his draft to Parkes, Barton and probably Playford as well. This draft was always intended to be
4648-460: The only concerns of those resistant to federation. Smaller colonies also worried about the abolition of tariffs , which would deprive them of a large proportion of their revenue, and leave their commerce at the mercy of the larger states. New South Wales, traditionally free-trade in its outlook, wanted to be satisfied that the federation's tariff policy would not be protectionist. Victorian Premier James Service described fiscal union as "the lion in
4731-417: The other hand, labour representatives feared that federation would distract attention from the need for social and industrial reform, and further entrench the power of the conservative forces. The federal conventions included no representatives of organised labour. In fact, the proposed federal constitution was criticised by labour representatives as being too conservative. These representatives wanted to see
4814-517: The question of Australian federation. The committee reported in favour of a federal assembly being established, but the government changed in the meantime, and the question was shelved. Also in 1857, in England , William Wentworth founded the "General Association for the Australian Colonies", whose object was to obtain a federal assembly for the whole of Australia. While in London, Wentworth produced
4897-558: The shade. The Conference debated whether or not the time was ripe to proceed with federation. While some of the delegates agreed it was, the smaller states were not as enthusiastic. Thomas Playford from South Australia indicated the tariff question and lack of popular support as hurdles. Similarly, Sir James Lee Steere from Western Australia and the New Zealand delegates suggested there was little support for federation in their respective colonies. A basic question at this early assembly
4980-412: The smaller colonies, disliked the very idea of delegating power to a national government; they feared that any such government would inevitably be dominated by the more populous New South Wales and Victoria. Queensland, for its part, worried that the advent of race-based national legislation would restrict the importing of kanaka labourers, thereby jeopardising its sugar cane industry. These were not
5063-477: The state capital, Perth . It has a population of approximately 850 people. Although Coolgardie is now known to most Western Australians as a tourist town and a mining ghost town , it was once the third largest town in Western Australia (after Perth and Fremantle ). At this time, mining of alluvial gold was a major industry and supplied the flagging economy with new hope. Many miners suffered under
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#17327987392715146-730: The sudden advent of the Labor Party in NSW, which commonly dismissed federation as a "fad". The subsequent revival of the federal movement owed much to the growth of federal leagues outside of capital cities, and, in Victoria, the Australian Natives' Association . The Border Federation League of Corowa held a conference in 1893 which was to prove of considerable significance, and a "People's Convention" in Bathurst in 1896 underlined
5229-425: The support of at least 80,000 voters for passage, equivalent to about half of enrolled voters, and this number was not reached. A meeting of the colonial premiers in early 1899 agreed to a number of amendments to make the constitution more acceptable to New South Wales. These included the limiting Braddon Clause , which guaranteed the states 75 percent of customs revenue, to just ten years of operation; requiring that
5312-483: The town as Bayley Street. Just to the town's east, Highway 94 turns south onto Coolgardie-Esperance Highway , which heads towards Norseman , the starting point of the route east across the Nullarbor Plain . Originally the narrow gauge railway to Kalgoorlie, the Eastern Goldfields Railway passed through Coolgardie, until 1968, when the new standard gauge line was built to the north on a new route. The Transwa Prospector train stops 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of
5395-429: The town at Bonnie Vale . There is a very limited public bus service to the town on the Kalgoorlie to Perth route, although school bus services are more frequent. In the 1890s four goldfields were gazetted with Coolgardie as reference point: Despite the changes to the Kalgoorlie region, Coolgardie still has a Mining Registrar. The Denver City Hotel was the setting for the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie while
5478-452: The town itself was used as the setting for the fictional town of Jardine in the 2022 mini-series, " Mystery Road: Origin ." Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland , New South Wales , Victoria , Tasmania , South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory ), and Western Australia agreed to unite and form
5561-445: The town was in serious decline. The federal electorate was abolished in 1913 due to the diminished population, as many of its residents left for other towns where the gold was still plentiful, and it soon ceased to be a municipality. The situation remained unchanged throughout the century, as its population slipped to around 200 and it became a virtual ghost town . An example of this decline is that, in March 1896, Coolgardie's main street
5644-523: The unity of delegates in matters involving rivers and railways, producing legalistic compromises. And they had few guides, at a conceptual level, to what they were doing. Deakin greatly praised James Bryce 's appreciation of American federalism, The American Commonwealth . And Barton cited the analysis of federation of Bryce's Oxford colleagues, E.A. Freeman and A.V. Dicey. But neither of these two writers could be said to be actual advocates of Federation. For delegates less given to reading (or citing) authors,
5727-452: The vote was not held until the following year. The majority vote was yes in all the colonies. The bill as accepted by the colonies (except Western Australia, which voted after the act was passed by the British parliament) was sent to Britain to be enacted as an act passed by British Parliament. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp) was passed on 5 July 1900 and given royal assent by Queen Victoria on 9 July 1900. It
5810-399: The way" of federation. A further fundamental issue was how to distribute the excess customs duties from the central government to the states. For the larger colonies, there was the possibility (which never became an actuality) that they could be required to subsidise the struggling economies of Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. Even without the concerns, there was debate about
5893-454: The world, particularly the United States and Canada. Sir Henry Parkes , then colonial secretary of New South Wales, first proposed a Federal Council body in 1867. After it was rejected by the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Duke of Buckingham , Parkes brought up the issue again in 1880, this time as the premier of New South Wales . At the conference, representatives from Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia considered
5976-456: Was briefly a member between 1888 and 1890. The Federal Council had powers to legislate directly upon certain matters, and did so to effect the mutual recognition of naturalisations by colonies, to regulate labour standards in the employment of Pacific Island labour in fisheries, and to enable a legal suit to be served outside the colony in which it was issued, "a power valuable in matters ranging from absconding debtors to divorce proceedings". But
6059-564: Was established endorsed the continuing role that the Imperial Parliament would have in the development of Australia's constitutional structure. In terms of the Federal Council of Australia Act , the Australian drafters established a number of powers dealing with their common interests which would later be replicated in the Australian Constitution, especially section 51 . The individual colonies, Victoria excepted, were somewhat wary of Federation. Politicians, particularly those from
6142-486: Was how to combine federalism and responsible government. Parkes suggested the Canadian model, which federated with the British North America Act, 1867 , to be similarly adopted in Australia. However, delegates from the smaller states were not enthusiastic, with John Alexander Cockburn of South Australia seeing the Canadian model as a "coercive" and "homogeneous National Union". Andrew Inglis Clark ,
6225-449: Was lit by an electric light, but by April 1924, the same street was lit by four hurricane lamps . Despite this, many of the buildings from the town's peak were retained, which in recent years has helped start a small revival in the town's fortunes. The development of a tourist industry has once again created some employment in the town, resulting in a small increase in population. Coolgardie appears to be no longer in danger of dying. When
6308-457: Was made. Issues of the respective legislative powers, the role of the states, the power of amendment and financial questions were the detail of the debate that the framers were about to address in 1891. As to who was responsible for the actual detailed drafting, as distinct from the broad structure and framework of the 1891 draft, John Williams (for one) is in no doubt: In terms of style there can be little argument that Inglis Clark's Constitution
6391-669: Was mixed with the Westminster system by which the Prime Minister and other ministers would be appointed by the representative of the British Crown from among the members of the political party holding a majority in the lower House. Griffith identified with great clarity at the Sydney Convention perhaps the greatest problem of all: how to structure the relationship between the lower and upper houses within
6474-721: Was practically a transcript of relevant provisions from the British North American Act, the United States Constitution and the Federal Council Act, arranged systematically, but it was to be of great use to the drafting committee at the convention. Parkes received it with reservations, suggesting that "the structure should be evolved bit by bit". George Higinbotham admitted the "acknowledged defects & disadvantages" of responsible government, but criticized Clark's plan to separate
6557-532: Was proclaimed on 1 January 1901 in Centennial Park , Sydney. Sir Edmund Barton was sworn in as the interim Prime Minister , leading an interim Federal ministry of nine members. The new constitution established a bicameral Parliament, containing a Senate and a House of Representatives . The office of governor-general was established as the Queen's representative; initially, as a representative of
6640-537: Was published in 1935, ceasing in 1957 when it was merged with the Great Eastern News , which ceased publication in 1958. The paper was founded by W. E. "Billy" Clare, with assistance from Edwin Greenslade Murphy , who, as "Dryblower", contributed a weekly gossip column. Cartoonist Ben Strange joined the newspaper in 1894. An early editor was George Williams, previously mining reporter for
6723-422: Was published weekly on Saturdays and was printed from an office on Bayley Street in Coolgardie. The Coolgardie Miner was relaunched as a weekly newspaper published on Fridays. It was initially printed by United Press. In 1957 it was merged into the Great Eastern News and printed by Country Newspapers in Perth, for distribution to Coolgardie. Issues (1894–1917) of this newspaper have been digitised as part of
6806-662: Was the British rejection of Queensland's unilateral annexation of New Guinea and the British Government wish to see a federalised Australasia. The convention was called to debate the strategies needed to counter the activities of the German and French in New Guinea and in New Hebrides . Sir Samuel Griffith , the premier of Queensland , drafted a bill to constitute the Federal Council. The conference successfully petitioned
6889-455: Was the centre of a federal electorate, the Division of Coolgardie . Soon after in November 1901, Alf Morgans from the state electorate of Coolgardie briefly became Premier of Western Australia . Albert Thomas, also of Coolgardie, was elected the first Member of Dundas, an electoral division south of Coolgardie. However, the gold began to decrease in the early 1900s, and by World War I ,
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