DEFENCE

Obtaining a united Australian defence policy was one of the widely supported reasons for the colonies to federate. At different times during the 1800s, Australians feared invasion from various countries including Russia, France, Germany, China and Japan. As colonies, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia were officially protected by the British navy. Many Australians felt their colonies were such a vast distance from Britain that Australia needed to be able to defend its own, extensive coastline. Forces of Australian volunteers existed in the colonies, but it was thought that those forces were too small to be effective against attack.

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See also Outcomes – Defence

RAILWAYS

In colonial times, railways were widely used for transport of freight (as well as people) and therefore provided a major source of income. Different colonies charged different rates for their services, and this raised questions about equality and uniformity. There was even talk of transferring control of the railways to the Commonwealth under Federation, but the colonies could not agree to give up their railway income. The colonies could agree, however, that a uniform railway line gauge for all Australia would be beneficial.

The size of railway gauges was one of the major issues that required cooperation between the colonies at the time of Federation. The following documents contain data to help you to identify the problems of the colonies' railway gauges and to discover how cooperation could bring about a solution.

Main Documents:

"A shake of the Hand", Sydney Punch, 1882. Despite their different rail gauges, Sydney and Melbourne are finally linked by rail (at Albury)

Extra Documents:

See also Outcomes – Railways