jan 1, 1901 - Federation: Australia becomes one nation

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The 1st of January 1901 marks the day Australia federated, the day all six colonies in Australia united as one nation under one flag.

Before Federation, all 6 colonies were considered a part of Britain and the colonies all had separate immigration laws, stamps and rules. Problems were caused by these differences which soon lead to discussions taking place about the advantages of uniting Australia as one nation.

Some of the many benefits of Federation include ease of movement between colonies, a unified defence force and free trade.

As the colonies were under British rule, Federation would only come about if the British Parliament passed the required legislation. After Britain passed the bill in 1900, a referendum was held in Australia on the 31st of July 1900 asking whether Australia should federate. The referendum was a success, a majority of Australians voting in favour of Federation.

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