"Commonwealth" Was First Proposed As A Term For A Federation Of The Six Australian Crown Colonies

"Commonwealth" Was First Proposed As A Term For A Federation Of The Six Australian Crown Colonies

"Commonwealth" was first proposed as a term for a federation of the six Australian crown colonies at the 1891 constitutional convention in Sydney.....

Its adoption was initially controversial, as it was associated by some with the republicanism of Oliver Cromwell (see above), but it was retained in all subsequent drafts of the constitution.

The term was finally incorporated into law in the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1901, which established the federation.

Australia operates under a federal system, in which power is divided between the federal (national) government and the state governments (the successors of the six colonies).

So, in an Australian context, the term "Commonwealth" (capitalized) refers to the federal government, and "Commonwealth of Australia" is the official name of the country.

November 06, 2018