Australia to 1914

Australia to 1914

History of Australia

1770 – Captain Cook visits the east coast of Australia

1788 – Governor Phillip arrives in Botany Bay

1850s – The time of the gold rushes

1901 – Federation is achieved

1915 – Australia soldiers fight at Gallipoli

1930s – The time of the Great Depression

1939 – World War Two begins

1942 – Japanese submarines enter Sydney Harbour

1960s – The time of the women’s liberation movement

1970s – The time of the Vietnam War

1992 – Aboriginal people in Australia gain some land rights through the legal system

1999 – Australians vote on whether to become a republic

2000 – The most recent year Australia hosted the Olympics

Why was Australia a working man’s paradise?

-          Climate was generally better in Australia

-          Workers enjoyed a better diet as meat and tea were part of the daily diet of most Australians but were considered luxuries by many English workers

-          A higher proportion of workers in Australia owned their own homes compared to English workers, however, this was only a small portion

-          Rents were generally higher in England than in Australia

-          Australia had trade unions

The catch was…

o   Australian rural workers experienced hardships during droughts, floods and bushfires

o   The 8 hour working day was achieved, however, it only applied to certain skilled tradespeople and not the majority of workers who were unskilled. It certainly did not apply to women and child workers nor Aboriginal, Pacific Islander or Chinese workers.

o   Trade Unions did not represent all workers and as such many were not protected by them.

Trade Union - A group that represents workers and gives them rights.

Why were Trade Unions appealing to workers?

Workers conditions could be improved as well as pay and hours. If anything bad happened they had insurance.

What was the difference between a skilled and unskilled worker?

A skilled worker had a trade (eg. Plumber) and had more rights whereas an unskilled worker had no trade.

Federation For and Against

For	Against
Nationalism	Travel and Communication
Unity	Inequality
Transport	Taxes
Taxes	Defence
Defence	Trade
Trade	Convicts
Immigration	Foreign Labour
Foreign Labour	Worker’s rights
	Costs

Federation Achieved

Federation was a long process. There were two conventions, the first one took place in Sydney and it was voted no. The second took place in Melbourne and it was voted that Australia would become a federation. It took 12 years, from 1889 to 1901.

The Immigration Restriction Act

Most of Australia as well as the government wanted a White Australia. The Australians (mostly British and Irish) at the time also had a general fear of other nations. There was rivalry between other nations for employment, as economic alleys could be paid less. For these reasons the Immigration Restriction Act was implemented.

Federal/Commonwealth – National

Referendum – nationwide vote to alter the constitution

Governor-General – Australian Head of State

                Queen à Governor-General à Prime Minister

Constitution – a set of rules by which a country is run

The Houses of Parliament

The House of Representatives (Green/Lower House) represents the people. They pass bills to the Senate who decide if they pass them on. The Senate (Red/Upper House) protects the rights of each state equally. All of Australian states are equal under the Constitution and the Senate has representatives from the six states and two territories.

Social Legislation

Invalid and Old Age Pension Act

Those who benefited	Those who did not
-          Men aged 65 +	-          Aboriginal, Asian and Pacific Islanders
-          Women aged 60 +	-          Those who died before 65/60

Maternity Allowances Act

Those who benefited	Those who did not
-          Mothers with a new born baby	-          If mother was Asian, Aboriginal or Pacific Islander

Classes in Australian Society – Upper Class, Middle Class and Lower Class

Why was suffrage a prevalent idea in Australia at the beginning of the Twentieth Century?

Fighting for women’s rights to vote.

Federation achieved – January 1^st , 1901

Name of the Pacific Islanders brought to Australia to work on the Queensland sugar fields – The Kanakas

Father of Federation – Henry Parkes

The Australian Women’s Sphere – bad men like boxers, opium dealers, wife bashes and prisoners can vote but intellectual and educated women can’t.