Resource Sheet 5
Voters of New South Wales Constitution Bill referendum poster, 1899
Ephemera collection, National Library of Australia.
Put in plainest terms, Federation means the ideal that every patriot of the country longs for—
"Australia for the Australians!" United the Colonies will be in a strong position to resist the encroachment of coloured… peoples, and one marked feature in the Bill that should recommend it to the electors… is the power given to the Commonwealth Parliament to deal with its danger to the future of Australia as a white nation
Richmond River Express, 3 June 1898
Speech by Alfred Deakin to the Australian Natives Association, Bendigo, 1898
You are entitled to reckon among the greatest of all your achievements the Federal Convention just closing. The idea of such a convention may be said to have sprung up among you, and it is by your efforts that it must be brought to fruition. One-half of the representatives constituting that Convention are Australian-born.
Those to whom we propose to entrust the sole creation and control of the new government are the Australian people.
It is not a time to surrender. Let us nail our standard to the mast. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of the…constitution.
JA La Nauze (ed), Alfred Deakin, The Federal Story: The Inner History of the Federal Cause 1880–1900, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1963.
Men of Australia
Men of all the lands Australian from the Gulf to Derwent River,
From the Heads of Sydney Harbour to the waters of the West,
There’s a spirit loudly calling where the saplings dip and quiver,
Where the city crowds are thronging, and the range uplifts its crest!
Do ye feel the holy fervour of a new-born exultation?
For the task the Lord has set us is a trust of noblest pride—
We are named to march unblooded to the winning of a nation,
And to crown her with a glory that may evermore abide.
Miners in the dripping workings, farmers, pioneers who settle
On the bush lands, city workers of the benches and the marts
Swarthy mechanics at the forges, beating out the glowing metal,
Thinkers, planners, if ye feel the love of country stir your hearts,
Help to write the bravest chapter of a fair young nation’s story—
Great she’ll be as Europe’s greatest, more magnificent in truth!—
That our children’s children standing in the rose light of her glory
May all honour us who loved her, and who crowned her in her youth!
The Argus, 1 June 1898.
Results of the 1898 Referendums
| Colony | Voted 'yes' | Voted 'no' | Total votes | Percentage of 'yes' votes | Percentage of 'no' votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 71,595 | 66,228 | |||
|
South Australia Northern Territory |
35,800 150 |
17,320 8 |
|||
| Tasmania | 11,797 | 2,716 | |||
| Victoria | 100,520 | 22,090 |
Helen Irving (ed), The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation.
Results of the 1899 Referendums
| Colony | Voted 'yes' | Voted 'no' | Total votes | Percentage of 'yes' votes | Percentage of 'no' votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 107,420 | 82,741 | |||
| Queensland | 38,488 | 30,996 | |||
|
South Australia Northern Territory |
65,990 393 |
17,053 16 |
|||
| Tasmania | 13,437 | 791 | |||
| Victoria | 152,653 | 9,805 |
Helen Irving (ed), The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation.
Results of the West Australian referendum, 1900
| Colony | Voted 'yes' | Voted 'no' | Total votes | Percentage of 'yes' votes | Percentage of 'no' votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | 44,800 | 19,691 |
Helen Irving (ed), The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation.