FOR AND AGAINST: Regional Differences
Extra Document 3

A LEANING TOWARDS FEDERATION (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

... Now, I have no doubt it has been gathered from the remarks I have made to-night that I am an ardent federationist. I cannot help having a leaning towards federation, but I am not a federationist on any terms. I am only a federationist if it is possible to have federation with advantage to Australia and to this colony. I cannot help thinking that the lines that separate us now from one another are ridiculous. I cannot help seeing that. The same laws, and to some extent the same governments, are alongside one another, and we seem divided by hostile tariffs and in every conceivable way, in order to make us different nations. It is impossible to make us different nations or peoples: we are all one. I have often thought, with reference to the food duties, that the people of the colony look upon me as being desirous of forcing duties upon food, but nothing is further from my intention. If possible, I would have the products introduced free, but that is no reason why I should advocate such a policy at the present time. The colonies are divided for the most part by imaginary lines drawn on the map, and across one side of that line no duties are imposed, while across the other side of that line duties are imposed. These imaginary lines require sweeping away. There is nothing definite or tangible about the division which exists between this colony and South Australia, for instance. It is merely a line drawn on the map. This federation will sweep away all such divisions. We shall have to throw in our lot with the other colonies, and depend on some other system of taxation than that on which we have hitherto relied. There is no doubt a difficulty in that at the present time. We are a small population here. We are trying to build up the country to make it self-producing, and in trying to do that we are doing what everybody else is doing, protecting those who are cultivating the land. We do not want to tax anybody if we can help it. We want to induce people to settle on the land. We think, and we have some good authority for the thought, that it is unwise to interfere with those who are trying their best to make the wilderness self-supporting. With regard to federation, everyone I think will admit that it will come some day. I do not suppose there is a man in Australia who does not believe in federation, and who believes that it will never come. Everybody will tell you it is sure to come some day. The only question is: when will it come? When will be we ripe for it? Those who tell you that we are not ready for it at present will be able to show you some disadvantage which will accrue to us by joining at the present time. The only one that occurs to me is the question of the tariff. I do not see any other reason. It is an important question, that of changing our present method of taxation, which is imposed with a view to encourage the cultivation of the land. Other than that, I do not see that anyone can have any objection to federation. Some people think that we will be giving up too much, and that therefore federation will not pay us. It really comes down to a financial proposition after all. In everyone's mind that is the only thought. Everyone wants to be federated, but we do not want to pay too much for it. We do not want to make money out of federation; we only want to be assured that we shall not lose by it. I take it for granted that everyone is in favour of federation, only with this reservation: shall we lose by it? We are quite certain that we shall not gain, but we do not want to lose ...

Sir John Forrest, W.A.P.D., Session 1897, Vol. X, pp. 200-1, cited in Scott Bennett (ed.), Federation, Cassell Australia, North Melbourne, 1975, pp. 222-3.