The 20th Century

The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901, after the separate states of Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania) united to become a federation. One of the first acts of the new Federation was to pass the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, which restricted migration to mainly people of European descent (White Australia Policy). Australia’s first Prime minister was Edmund Barton, with the reigning monarch of England (Queen Victoria and Edward VII) retaining the role of head of State.

Australia’s agricultural and manufacturing industries developed rapidly during the first 20 years of the 20th Century, enabling Australia to become a major player in world economics.

The arrival of WW1 in 1914 had a devastating effect on the population of Australia due to slow migrant numbers and the conscription of many young men. On 25 April 1915 the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS) came ashore on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. A battle ensued and many ANZAC and Turkish troops were killed. More than 8,000 Australians died during the attacks on Gallipoli and subsequent battles.

The Depression at the end of the 1920’s hit Australia hard. Prices for wool and wheat; the two core products that made the economy of Australia secure in the world markets plunged. In 1931 almost a third of workers were unemployed and poverty was widespread and thousands of men took to the country in search of work. Australia's economy started to recover in 1933, as a result of rise in wool prices and a revival in manufacturing.

With the arrival of WW2, Australia finds itself fighting for the allies, and threats to the country become real when Japanese military attacks into Asia and the Pacific, bomb the towns of Darwin and Broome. After WW2 Australia entered a period of intense growth. Millions of migrants (many of whom are refugees) arrived in Australia, many of them happy to embrace their new lives and participate in the growing economy.

In 1967 Aborigines gained the right to vote following a referendum. Over the period of western rule of Australia the Aboriginal population had declined from 300,000 to less than 60,000. The reasons for this being disease, deprivation, the policy of 'assimilation' which removed indigenous children from their families in an effort to civilise them.

Gough Whitlam's government abolished the White Australia Policy in 1973. Whitlam also abolished the death penalty for federal crimes, the voting age was reduced to 18 years and welfare reforms were put in place which meant that single parents were given federal support. Whitlam's administration also changed the national anthem from England's 'God Save the Queen' to 'Advance Australia Fair'.