The Australian Federal political system is one hundred years old today.
Centennial Park, Sydney, January 1, 1901
The arrangement whereby powers are divided between a central government and six states came into being on January 1, 1901.
Federation came after a series of referendums in each of the six states where the Australian voters of the time – mainly men – supported the most significant political change in the country’s white history.
A century on, the Constitution that took effect in 1901 has remained substantially unchanged. Only 8 successful referendums have been carried by a vote of the people and none of these dramatically altered the constitutional arrangements agreed upon in the 1890s.