Centenary of Federation Victoria: Federation Documents ONLINE

On the grounds of Democracy
This worker disagrees with the Tocsin and is in favour of Federation.

Focus Question:
FeQ13 For what reasons does this 'worker' say that Federation will make Australia more democratic?

Having waded through the vast amount of correspondence and frothy utterances of the anti-Federalists regarding the matter of wages, I would like to draw the attention of the workers to a few thoughts in regard to this matter.

Under Federation, I take it, there will be a confederation of all workers under their respective unions, and it is only reasonable to suppose that such a confederation will more fully safeguard the interests of the workers than the present scattered bodies can do. There will be one common bond between the workers of the whole of Australia, and who will say that a body with such vast influence and backed up by the support of the workers of the whole continent cannot demand, and obtain, an amelioration of the conditions of the worker, and compel fair and just conditions from the capitalists. Such a confederation would have the matter of wages practically in its own hands.
Again, would not such a confederation of labour interests give the workers greater power at the ballot box? I maintain that it would, and that the workers of Australia, banded together in such a union, could compel the institution of laws for the betterment of their conditions. They could obtain the proper representation of their interests in the Parliaments of the Commonwealth, thus working towards the ultimate consummation of freedom from the galling conditions imposed by the avaricious capitalist, who is so earnestly concerned about the wages of the workers just now, when his monopoly is seriously threatened.
It is hardly necessary to point out that freedom of competition means a fair price for the commodities of trade, and if we have freetrade with the Commonwealth of Australia, we must certainly reap the benefit of that free competitition [sic]. The idea of a prohibitive tariff against the outside world is only presumptive, and, in any case, the balance will remain on the side of the worker, because the duties he will be relieved of will more than pay the enhanced price of the articles that will be taxed as coming from outside.

"Worker Federalist", letter to West Australian, Perth, 31 July 1900, cited in Scott Bennett (ed.), Federation, Cassell Australia, North Melbourne, 1975, pp. 46-7.