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Australia became a separate nation in 1901. It is still part of the British Commonwealth. The Union Jack is still on the national flag and some state flags. Queen Elizabeth II is still the Monarch and appears on Australian coinage and some banknotes. The Queen's Regal & Vice-Regal representatives in Australia are the Governor-General and the various States-Governor. The Referendum on a proposed Australian Republic some years ago was defeated by a majority vote favouring a continuation of the current Westminster-style constitutional/parliamentary democracy.
The gold rush brought new wealth to Australia, and started the movement that eventually led to Federation.
On 1 January 1901 (not 1949), federation of the colonies was achieved and the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed by Australia's first Governor-General, John Hope, at Centennial Park in Sydney. Australia's first Prime Minister was Edmund Barton, who was Prime Minister from January 1901 to September 1903. This gave Australia the right to govern itself, but it was not yet completely independent.
Although the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia came into effect at Federation, this did not mean that Australia was now independent of Britain. When the UK approved colonial federation, it simply meant that the six self-governing states of Australia allocated some functions to a federal authority. Australia gained the status of a Dominion, which meant it remained a self-governing colony within the British Empire, with the Head of State being the British monarch. The British government appointed Australia's Governor-General and State Governors, who answered to the British government.
All Dominions within the British Empire were declared "equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations" at the Imperial Conference of 1926. The Statute of Westminster 1931 ratified the discussions of the Imperial Conference. This meant that Australia and other Dominions such as South Africa, New Zealand and Canada could now conduct treaties and agreements with foreign powers, and manage their own military strategies. No longer were the Australian Governor-General, Parliament and individual governors answerable to the UK. The British monarch could only act on the advice of the Australian Government, and the Governor-General was no longer appointed by and answerable to the British monarch.
The defeat of the large British garrison at Singapore in January 1942 came as a very unwelcome shock to the Australian government. It exposed the weakness of Britain and led Australia to seek much closer ties with the US and it was felt that for this the country needed full independence; hence the date for activating the 1931 Statute of Westminster. Australian Parliament formally adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931 under the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, on 9 October 1942.
Australia reached the next stage of independence on 3 March 1986, when the Australia Acts came into effect. The Australia Acts declared that Australia had the status of a Sovereign, Independent and Federal Nation. The nation still retains Elizabeth II as head of state, but her position as Australia's head of state is a completely separate position from her position as the head of state of any other country, including the UK. What the Australia Act effectively did was remove the ability of the British Government to make laws for Australia and removed the last legal link with the UK by abolishing the right of appeal to the judicial committee of the Privy Council. Also it was not until 1988 that the last state, Queensland, removed this from their statutes as well.
Some might say Australia is still on a path to independence as we are still technically ruled by the British monarchy, even though that monarchy does not have any right to interfere with Australian laws. There will always be those who disagree with the above, as it could be said that Australia received independence in varying degrees.
I know this is old but i'm questioning this statement: "the Governor-General was no longer appointed by and answerable to the British monarch".
Shouldn't there have been a referendum for that decision? That section of The Constitution has not been altered. I'd like to see how and when that happened
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What was not a part of Lenin's plan for governing Russia?
A democratic form of government was not part of Lenin's plan. Lenin never intended for the new government to be a democratic government, that is, open to all citizens. He believed that it was necessary to keep government in the hands of a small group of like-minded people so that the gains made by the revolution would not be lost. That meant that only members of the Bolshevik Party were going to be allowed to hold high offices in it and the Bolshevik, later Communist, Party would never lose control of the government no matter what the people of Russia wanted. Freedom to oppose his policies was not to be allowed either.
How did the British empire lose land?
Why did The British Empire lose their land?
Did France win or lose World War 2 and how did they lose?
Won
When did John lose Normandy?
1204
How did the anzacs lose the war?
The ANZACs were on the winning side, so they did not lose the war. The attack on Gallipoli failed, but it was absolutely no fault of the ANZACs.
What if you lose the form for Britains Got talent?
Contact them for details on what to do.
How and why did Australia lose Britain as an ally?
Australia has not lost Britain as an ally.
What rights do you lose when you are tried as a terrorist?
In Australia it has been shown that you don't lose any rights when this happens regardless of what the cowboys in the government and the federal police try to do. In the USA it is another story because there they move you of shore where you are not covered by a justice system.
How many times did Australia lose to Bangladesh?
two
How did Egypt's government lose power?
====== ======
Which team lose the world cup 1996 to srilanka?
Australia
People who do not vote lose their?
voice in government
Did the Whitlam Government lose control of the senate?
yes
Did the roman government lose the support of the people?
Yess
Why has the Australian government decided to make the Great Barrier Reef a national park?
The Great Barrier Reef is not just a National park, but a National Marine Park.It was made a marine park to protect it, as it is important for Australia's tourism industry, and hence the economy. The Great Barrier Reef generates $AU2 billion in tourism dollars every year. All countries trade on their commodities, and tourism is one of Australia's. To lose the reef would be to lose an enormous source of trade for Australia.The Great Barrier Reef also serves an important natural function. The health of the Reef points to the health of the ocean, and the creeks and rivers that feed into it, as well as signifying the general effects of pollution. It is of considerable concern that numbers of unique species such as dugong and loggerhead turtles have declined significantly since the 1960s, largely due to human intervention. The Reef shelters many endangered species.
Why has the Australian government decide to make the Great Barrier Reef a national park?
The Great Barrier Reef is not just a National park, but a National Marine Park.It was made a marine park to protect it, as it is important for Australia's tourism industry, and hence the economy. The Great Barrier Reef generates $AU2 billion in tourism dollars every year. All countries trade on their commodities, and tourism is one of Australia's. To lose the reef would be to lose an enormous source of trade for Australia.The Great Barrier Reef also serves an important natural function. The health of the Reef points to the health of the ocean, and the creeks and rivers that feed into it, as well as signifying the general effects of pollution. It is of considerable concern that numbers of unique species such as dugong and loggerhead turtles have declined significantly since the 1960s, largely due to human intervention. The Reef shelters many endangered species.
What battles did Alexander the great lose?
none!
