Riska Ayu Anjasari

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Federation and Identity Formation (1890 1919)

Introduction to Australian Studies

Australia, a country which is well known as its multiculturalism. At the first there are six colonies
settle in this land and it was through a very long process before became a federation country. These
colonies declare themselves as self-governing colony which of course has their own authority towards
their economic system and another system. In 1850s, there was found gold mine in South Wales and
Victoria which well-known as Gold Rush lead to immigrants from another country and culture come
to Australia, most of them are Chinese. In the early of 1980s Australian faced depression which is the
worst happened in Eastern Australia. The depression give a big impact towards each colony, it
induced the development of Labour Party as well as the idea to make a federation country.

On its journey to become federation, the colonies held two times referendum. The first was held in
1898 but it failed, the second was held in 1899 and it passed in the five colonies besides Western
Australia, but then in 1900 Western Australia join the federation. The next step to become federation
is that the colonies sould gain the authorization of the colonies master in London. The result is in the
first of January,1901 Australia become federation country.

Along with the federation, Australia needs national identity which can separate or differentiate them
from Britain which was their mother country. Hence, a long process of constructing Australian
national identity as an Australian rather than Britain has occured to begin. Australian begin to
make their own myth, the Bushman legend as one example. These myths portray who is/are the actual
Australian(s) or what it means to be Australians. In order to define who is Australian and who is not,
the federation make some legal standards. The most important standard was whiteness which means
they are fair-skinned people of Anglo-celtic descent.

The standard was close related to racial policies, this policy was to exclude Chinese miners (this
policy was actually conduct since 1850s when many immigrants come to Australia due to Gold Rush).
However, without doubt Aboriginal people are included in this policy. The act that Australian
Constitution did to them are they were not to be counted in state and federal consensus, they were
totally defined as the outsider but Australian still have rights to control them. According to this issue,
we know what is called as stolen generation. Stolen generation is an act done by Australian
constitution towards Aboriginal children under the age of 18. It was not explained clearly what is/are
the purpose(s) to do this act. However, it still left trauma for the children. Most of them was never
back to their families. This mission affected Aboriginal race till 1970s. But then in 2008, Australian
prime minister, Kevin Rudd, realize and acknowledge the stolen generation as a rude action done by
Australian towards Aborigines. He, as the prime minister apologize to the Aborigines, this was known
as Sorry Day. The other policy that Australian did to construct their identity was to limit the ability of
Asian workers or what was known as white Australian policy.

The next act was the Immigration Restriction Act. This acts purpose was to set the standard for
becoming Australian through migration. There are several requirements which allow non Anglo-celtic
descent become an Australian. However, those requirements are difficult to be fulfilled. One of the
requairements is the dictation test which was the most difficult requairement to be passed on. This test
was applied to all non-European people to entering Australia and will allow well-educated Africans or
Asians to be Australians. But the data said that in 1902-1903, out of 805, only 46 immigrants were
passed. In 1904-1909, out of 554, only 6 were passed. No one passed the dictation test between 1909
and 1958. The data shows clearly how difficult is the test.
Riska Ayu Anjasari
150110101054

Eventhough Australian goverment did those kinds of policies to define who is the real Australian, the
unfairness still occured, especially in the labour issue (eventhough it has been occured before
federation). The unfairness towards non-white people labours, women labours and Aboriginal
Australian labours were happening. The wages and the time of working was unequal between the
Australian and the non-European one. Even worst what was happening to women at that time, they
were not allowed to be participated in any political event. There is an important figure who fights to
womens rights named Goldstein. She has to fight for years till she can achieve all of what Australian
women was dreaming of. Finally, in around 1900s, she has been made changes towards women
political activity.

The construction of Australian identity was also seemed in the literary works. In Australia at that
time, there was a number of politicians who wrote verse which dedicated to the country which
become a trend among the politicians. Besides, every Australian also give contribution to construct a
new national identity, no exception for artists and film makers. They were producing film or another
literary works that show how an Australian should be.

Another thing that is important in making Australian national identity is in the field of sport. There
were many of Australian athlete won championship which held either in Australia or England. It made
Australian proud of its victories over England. It prove that they are already an independent country
which can defeat England.

Earlier, Australia was known as Britain culture which moved to Australia and it was a problem as
Australian was lack of national independence and the head of its state is still Britain monarch.
However, it is important for Australian to see themselves as a member of a nation separate from its
mother country, Britain. It is also important for Australian to realize that they are multicultural
country, so that their identity is the diversity itself, eventhough it has been constructed in many ways
and there are still many question about what national identity is best represented this new state.
Hence, by the end of 1919 the construction of Australian national identity was still uncompleted.