Forging The Nation. Federation - the first 20 years
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1901 proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January - first federal elections held - Duke of Cornwall and York opens first Federal Parliament 1902 Commonwealth sends troops to South African War - British New Guinea transfers to Australian control - Commonwealth Franchise Act extends the vote to women, but removes it from most indigenous people - Immigration Restriction Act implements the White 1903 first woman stands for Federal elections - Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co of Australia produces local tyre 1904 Australian Women's National League formed - Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act comes into force 1905 Empire Day is inaugurated - typhoid kills 630 people in Australia 1906 Western Australia decides to hold a referendum on secession - motion picture Story of the Kelly Gang opened - Australia wins three bronze medals at the Athens Olympics 1907 Queensland allows Italians to replace Pacific Islanders in the sugar industry - first State Premiers' Conference held - the Harvester Judgement by Justice HB Higgins establishes the basic wage 1908 title of the Australian Labor Party officially adopted - Dorothea Mackellar's poem My Country published 1909 Douglas Mawson, A.F. Mackay and Edgeworth-David reach South Magnetic Pole - old age pensions introduced 1910 powered aeroplane flight in Australia - Mt Stromlo observatory opens near Canberra - Henry Handel Richardson publishes The Getting of Wisdom 1911 the Royal Australian Navy founded - compulsory preferential voting introduced - women comprise 19.7% of the workforce 1912 Commenwealth Bank established - Australian Flying Corps formed - maternity allowance ( 1913 construction of transcontinental railway begins - foundation stone for Canberra laid 1914 G.J. Coles opens shop in Collingwood - war declared and volunteer servicemen recruited and trained - HMAS Sydney sinks SMS Emden 1915 BHP's blast furnace begins at Newcastle - Australian and New Zealand troops land at Gallipoli - Billy Hughes becomes Prime Minister 1916 Australian troops participate in the battle of the Somme - proposal to introduce conscription for war service rejected 1917 Sir Harry Chauvel commands Desert Mounted Corps - second conscription referendum defeated - transcontrinental railway completed 1918 Sir John Monash commands Australian Corps in France - Norman Lindsay's The Magic Pudding and May Gibb's Snugglepot and Cuddlepie published - war ends 1919 13,000 Australians die in the Spanish Influenza pandemic - radio broadcasting demonstrated in Sydney - Australia gains responsibility for administering former German New Guinea 1920 Australia becomes a member of the League of Nations - the film On Our Selection released - Princes Highway links Sydney and Melbourne 1921 Royal Australian Air Force established - Ford commences manufacturing in Australia - Ginger Meggs comic strip created - Australian War Museum plans to open in Melbourne

 

 
Australian War Memorial