Federation has now completed 110 years. We continue the Federation story from where we ended last week, when the National Australasian Convention produced a draft Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the voters in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia were to be asked at a Referendum in June 1898 if they approved the Constitution. We’ll look at how the Armidale voters voted.
In 1898 the two Armidale newspapers (the Armidale Chronicle and the Armidale Express), favoured Federation and pushed the issue with enthusiasm. In the lead up to the Referendum in June there was considerable enthusiasm, but interest was confined to a minority of middle class people, of whom the clergy and the professional people were the most active. In Armidale the real leaders in the Federation movement were Arthur Green (the Anglican bishop) and Dean Patrick O’Connor (the priest in charge of the Roman Catholic parish), and two prominent medical practitioners, Dr Wigan and Dr Samuelson.
Edmund Barton was one of several high-profile Federation advocates who visited Armidale. He was given an enthusiastic welcome when he spoke at a crowded Town Hall. The question of Federation was not directly related to economic interests and did not divide the community on the normal party lines, so it failed to grip the interests of the bulk of the electors in Armidale.
Polling at the Referendum was held in Armidale at the Superior Public School (in Brown Street, on the site of what is now the playground of Armidale City Public School) on Friday, June 3, 1898. Voting was not compulsory and only men voted. The Chronicle claimed that polling “did not arouse much interest”, and the Express concurred, stating that polling was “without the slightest semblance of enthusiasm”. There was a small turnout of voters, with only half of the people on the roll voting. No publicity had been given to the location of the polling booths in the district.
Results in Armidale were: “Yes’, 306; “No’, 328; Informal, 2; Total, 636. Armidale had voted against the Bill.
Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and NSW all had a “Yes’ majority, but in NSW the “Yes’ vote fell short of the required minimum. Under the provisions of the amended Enabling Act, the NSW Constitution Bill was deemed to be rejected if there were fewer than 80,000 “Yes’ votes. Referendums were not held in Western Australia or Queensland in 1898.
The “No’ vote in NSW was 66,228 and the “Yes’ vote was 71,595, but this was 8,405 short of the required 80,000. The “Yes’ vote was 52 per cent of the formal vote. Voting was not compulsory and only men had voted. In South Australia the “Yes’ vote was 67 per cent; in Tasmania 81 per cent; and 82 per cent in Victoria.
Federation could have stalled. In NSW, the provisions of the amended Enabling Act prescribed that no further action was to be taken if the Constitution Bill was rejected. So far as NSW was concerned, the statutory process for Federation was at an end. But all was not lost.
At the NSW general elections in June 1898 George Reid was returned to Government, but needed Labor’s support. Reid, who is one of those men who rightly deserves the title, “Father of Federation”, immediately suggested a Premiers’ Conference to amend the Constitution Bill to make it more acceptable to NSW.
It should also be noted that Barton had lost his seat when he stood against Reid in East Sydney, but Barton subsequently won the seat of Hastings-Macleay (centred on Port Macquarie) which was vacated for him to contest. Returning to Parliament, Barton became the Leader of the Opposition. The Government and the Opposition were both keen to ensure Federation, but on terms favourable to NSW.
NSW desired several amendments, including: the abolition of the Braddon Blot (which required the Commonwealth to return to the States three quarters of the customs revenue it raised); a simple majority in joint sittings of the two Houses; and the Federal Capital to be in NSW.
The Premiers met in Melbourne at the end of January 1899. All the Premiers (including Queensland’s) attended for the first time since 1895. They agreed to amend the Constitution Bill to meet the concerns of NSW and Queensland. One of Queensland’s concerns was the section about New States in the Constitution. Queensland was entirely to blame for the section as it was finally worded. A separate column later this year will tell the fascinating story, which explains why advocates of a New State in northern NSW were always unable to get it.
Other things decided by the Premiers in January 1899 included: the Braddon Blot was limited to 10 years, and the Federal Capital would be in NSW, but not within 100 miles of Sydney – and until the new Capital was built, the Federal Parliament would meet in Melbourne; State boundary changes were to be approved not only by the Parliament of the State but also by a referendum with “the approval of the majority of the electors of the State voting upon the question”; and an absolute majority (not a three-fifths majority) was needed for a Bill to be passed at joint sittings of both Houses.
Having secured these amendments to the Bill, Reid announced he would support it. Opponents claimed NSW would have to subsidise other States, and would have proportionately less power, so strong opposition was still expected in NSW. New Referendums were to be held in June 1899 in every colony except Western Australia, which was going to await the results in NSW. Next week, we’ll look at how the voters voted in Armidale and in the Colonies.
