New South Wales believed in free trade and Victoria believed in protection. Rivalry between the two states had arisen over trade in the Riverina area and such issues made co-operation difficult. Queensland also had a different opinion from most other colonies on immigration and it did not want a federal movement to stop them from employing cheap Kanakas.
Inter-colonial rivalry meant that the federation movement took more than fifty years to achieve its goal.
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2 People involved in the move towards Federation and its establishment.
There were a number of figures who played important roles in bringing about federation.
Henry Parkes was the father figure of federation. Early in his political career he pushed for the ideal of one Australian government. In 1889 Parkes, the New South Wales Premier, spoke publicly at Tenterfield of the Imperial Generals recommendation to unite Australian defense forces. Parkes understood that this could not be achieved without a union of the colonies and he proposed that the colonial parliaments appoint a convention of leading men to .
" . devise the Constitution for a federal government with a federal parliament for the conduct of national business .a parliament of two houses; a house of commons and a senate."(Australia in World History .
p.403).
Later Parkes stated that Australia must learn from the example of Canada and the USA regarding national unity.
The National Australasian Convention was held in March 1891 in Sydney and was presided over by Henry Parkes. Delegates from each state and from New Zealand debated the draft constitution but the time was not right for continued discussion because the colonies were preoccupied with internal matters and the depression.
In 1896 Parkes died suddenly. He did not live to see his dream of a united Australia.
Sir Samuel Griffith was the main architect of "Bill to constitute the commonwealth of Australia"(Australian Geographic society p.