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The Commonwealth of Australia was created on 1 January 1901 when Federation united the previously individual British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, under one parliamentary system.
The first Parliament of the Commonwealth was opened by the then Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V) of Great Britain, representing his father King Edward VII (right). The ceremony took place in Melbourne and Federal Parliament sat there until 1927, when it was moved to the Australian Capital Territory which was created for the sole purpose of housing the federal parliament.
Currently the Commonwealth of Australia comprises six states and various territories.
State / Territory |
Capital City |
Year of European Colonisation |
Population in 2012 |
Notes |
New South Wales |
Sydney |
1788 |
7,290,300 |
beginning as the penal Colony of New South Wales, it originally included the entire east coast and all islands adjacent in the Pacific Ocean (including New Zealand) and westward to 135oE |
Norfolk Island |
Kingston |
1788 |
2,302 |
first colonised as part of Britain's settlment of Australia and used as a convict penal colony until 1813 and again from 1824-1855, a permanent population of free settlers began in 1856 with the arrival of 194 descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers from Pitcairn Island |
Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania |
Hobart |
1803 |
512,100 |
identified as an island in 1798-99, but still part of the Colony of New South Wales, it was a penal colony until 1877, the name was changed to Tasmania in 1856 when it was granted responsible self-government as its own colony |
Macquarie Island |
nil |
1810 |
nil |
a World Heritage Site, the island, claimed for Britian and annexed to the Colony of New South Wales, now politically sits within Tasmania is used for research purposes |
Swan River Colony / Western Australia |
Perth |
1829 |
2,430,300 |
a free British colony, its name was changed to Western Australia in 1832 with the eastern boundary extending to 129oE |
South Australia |
Adelaide |
1834 |
1,654,800 |
a free British colony, it's western boundary was originally set at 132oE before being changed to current location in 1860 |
Victoria |
Melbourne |
1851 |
5,623,500 |
402 people first settled the region in 1803, it wasn't until 1851 that Victoria was granted responsible self-government as its own colony |
Queensland |
Brisbane |
1859 |
4,560,100 |
settled as a penal colony in 1824, it was 1859 when Queensland was granted responsible self-government as its own colony, with its western border set at 141oE, before it was changed in 1862 to its current location at 139oE |
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Federal Capital Territory / Australian Capital Territory |
Canberra |
1911 |
374,700 |
a territory enclaved within New South Wales for the sole purpose of hosting the Seat of Federal Government for the Commonwealth |
Northern Territory |
Darwin |
1911 |
234,800 |
originally part of the Colony of New South Wales from 1825, it was transfered to South Australia in 1862, after Federation it was transferred to the Commonwealth |
Jervis Bay Territory |
nil |
1915 |
395 |
was formed so that the ACT would have access to the sea, it is governed by ACT laws and the population is mainly defence service personnel |
Ashmore Island & Cartier Islands |
nil |
1931 |
nil |
transferred from Britain in 1931, these unihabited island & reef systems are located on the edge of the continental shelf and is a nature reserve |
Australian Antarctic Territory |
nil |
1933 |
<1,000 |
transferred from Britain in 1933, but since the Antarctic Treaty in 1961, there are no recognised claims in the Antarctic - the area is temporarily inhabited by research staff |
Heard Island & McDonald Islands |
nil |
1947 |
nil |
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was transferred from Britain in 1947 and is occassionally inhabited by temporary resesearch staff |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
West Island |
1955 |
564 |
originally settled by a Scottish family in 1814 the islands were annexed by the British Empire in 1857, it was transferred from Singapore to Australia in 1955 and in 1984 a secret ballot was held for self-determination in which the majority of the population sought to integrate with Australia |
Christmas Island |
Flying Fish Cove |
1958 |
1496 |
with the discoveryof pure phosphate of lime in 1888, mining began in earnest and the island was administered by the British Colonial Office - it was transferred from Britain in 1958 and is now mostly a tourist destination |
Coral Sea Island Territory |
nil |
1969 |
nil |
is a group of small and uninhabited islands & reefs (only one island is permanently inhabited, by weather observers) - first charted in 1803 and mined for guano, the territory is mainly a nature reserve |