2024 Constitutional Developments PDF

Constitutional Developments Australia and New Zealand’s Constitutional History: Key Questions - How long should we remain under British rule? - What does it mean to be a independent country? - At what point is a country ready for independence? - What are the national identities of New Zealand an...

Constitutional Developments Australia and New Zealand’s Constitutional History: Key Questions - How long should we remain under British rule? - What does it mean to be a independent country? - At what point is a country ready for independence? - What are the national identities of New Zealand and Australia? (In the 19th C, are there any?) - Do New Zealand and Australia belong together or apart? - Who belongs in our countries? Australia and New Zealand through European eyes Europeans first thought about the two countries when Charles de Brosses, a French scholar, described an imaginary southern continent called ‘Australasie’ (south of Asia) in 1756. (He was also the first person to use the term Polynesia (guess the meaning?) Australia and NZ Identity in the 19th Century Study the resources on Google Classroom. Complete the shared Google Doc (divide up the tasks) saying what they tell you about the identities of Australia and New Zealand in the late 1800s. Movement towards Australian Federation and Independence 1800s Trends that contributed: - Population Growth - Economic Prosperity - Social Darwinism and its impacts Population Growth When have been the points of rapid change in the population growth rate of Australia? What historical events are associated with that growth? Economic Prosperity What were the stages in Australia’s economic growth? https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economic-history-of-australia-from-1788-an-introduction/ Use the above article to construct a timeline of significant developments in Australia’s economic growth, from 1788 through to Federation in 1901. Social Darwinism What was Social Darwinism and what influence did in have in Australia’s development? Key Terms to investigate: - Eugenics - Race - Pseudo-Science - ‘Sub species’ Social Darwinism in Practice Once European domination of Australian (by the 1850s) and New Zealand (by the 1870s) societies was established, European populations worked to make their nations more exclusively white. In both cases, the impetus behind the ‘White Australia’ or ‘White New Zealand’ movements came largely from reactions to Chinese immigration. TASK: Practice Paper 1 Question 3 : Chinese Immigration to Australasia. ‘The Mongolian Octopus – His Grip on Australia’, a cartoon by Phillip May, published in The Bulletin magazine, 1886. National Museum of Australia. Responses to Immigration - NZ & Aus ‘Whites only’ groups promoted both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ law changes that would help to achieve their aims: - Assisted immigration schemes: Migrants from preferred countries were paid to migrate. Preferred countries included mainly European countries. - Restrictions on ‘non-desirables’. These included strict English language tests and Poll Taxes targeted only at people from certain countries. ie: China. Immigration Restriction Act 1901 Q2 Practice on Classroom One of the immediate consequences of Federation was the passing of a national Immigration Restriction Act in December of 1901. This included: - A 50 word dictation test could be given to a prospective immigrant, in any European language the tester chose. “Even if someone initially passed the English test, they could be made to sit it in a succession of different languages until they failed. Naturally, white British migrants were not made to sit the test at all... The test was administered 1359 times prior to 1909, with only 52 people granted entry to Australia. After 1909 not a single migrant made to sit the test passed.” ” (http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/defining_moments/featured/white_australia_policy_begins) - ‘Undesirables’ already in Australia could also be deported if they failed the test. Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 Intended to force the deportation of Pacific Island labourers (called “Kanakas”) back to their home countries. These were working mainly in Queensland and north NSW sugar plantations. Ironically, many had been kidnapped and forced into becoming labourers in the first place, through a process known as ‘blackbirding’. There were approximately 10,000 such labourers, of which 7,500 ended up being deported. Responses to Immigration Early in 1903, MP Billy Hughes proposed introducing conscription to boost Australia’s military response to the Boer War. White Australia campaigners vehemently opposed this initiative. Why? ‘The Australian Worker’ newspaper: ‘If … the white workers are drained away from our industries and shipped away like cargoes of meat, a labor [sic] famine will be created, and this MUST mean the influx of labor from that colored ocean by which Mr. Hughes himself, in an unguarded moment, warned us that we are surrounded. There is one way, and only one way, to avert this cataclysm of colour which would utterly destroy us as a White Nation – Vote ‘No’.’ The Australian Federation Movement Henry Parkes Federation and White Australia Federation was a boost to hopes of establishing a ‘White Australia’, as it allowed for greater cooperation between the states, as this cartoon shows: Federation and White Australia “A white Australia is not a surface, but it is a reasoned policy which goes down to the roots of national life, and by which the whole of our social, industrial, and political organisations is governed.” - P.M. Alfred Deakin, December 1903 Source to interpret Australian Federation: Should NZ have joined? - Many Pākehā NZers had come - Premier Richard Seddon preferred to keep from Australia. NZ separate. - NZ had participated in Australian - Public opinion was for continued separation. Colonial Conferences since 1860. - Many New Zealanders – both Pākehā and Māori – believed themselves to be of ‘superior stock’ - NZ farmers feared a break with Australia could cause trade to Australians. disruptions / barriers to be put in place. - Almost all NZ trade at time was with Britain. - Federation was formally rejected by a Royal Commision in 1901. Australian Federation: Should NZ have joined? ‘THE RULING PASSION STRONG IN SEDDON’ This cartoon shows Premier Richard Seddon riding a toy hobby horse labelled ‘South Pacific Federation’, while premiers of Australian states try to persuade him to take the vacant seat alongside them atop the white elephant of ‘Federated Australia’. Was New Zealand ready to be a Dominion in 1907? What perspective does this cartoon provide on this question? Where else could you look for alternative perspectives? THE SURPRISE PACKET. Canada: “Rather large for him, is it not?” Australia: “Oh, his head is swelling rapidly. The hat will soon fit!”