REGULAR FEATURES
100 years of Government
e. is d ra a P rs e rf u S re fo be e and Bribi ....a
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ne hundred years ago Queensland abolished the upper house of its Parliament and has maintained a unicameral style of Government ever since. Over the last two years of Covid, we have witnessed the impact and result of different Federal and State Government actions. As we now enter an intense Federal Election campaign, this article reflects on a few interesting things that have changed in the last century, and where little Bribie Island fits into these milestones of history.
Barry Clark Bribie Island Historical Society
MORE BRIBIE HISTORY The Historical Society have monthly public meetings at the RSL Club on the second Wednesday of each month commencing at 6;30pm. with interesting guest speakers on a wide range of topics. You can see many more photos and articles on our Blog Site at http:// bribieislandhistory.blogspot. com or contact us on bribiehistoricalsociety@gmail. com
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In 1825 the Moreton Bay penal colony was established on the Brisbane River, and 34 years later Queensland was declared a self-governing Colony, separate from NSW, in 1859. A demonstration of electric street lighting of lamp posts in Queen Street in 1882 was the first recorded use of electricity for public purposes in the world. It was not until 1902 that Brisbane was designated a city.
FEDERATION. On 1st January 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed, and all the Colonies became States. Three weeks later Queen Victoria died at the age of 82. When Victoria came to the throne in 1837 Australia was four separate Colonies of NSW, SA, WA and Van Diemen’s land. Queensland was still part of NSW, much of the continent was still unexplored, and the total white population was fewer than 160,000. In 1901 Australia became a Federation of six sovereign States, with a total population of nearly
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3.75 million people. During Victoria’s reign, Australia had progressed from a colonial pioneering era, with improved transport and communication, bringing the colonies into closer contact. Major towns had been linked by telegraphic communication, and there was a need for national defence, Postal services, Immigration control, and removal of customs barriers between colonies. Despite intercolonial jealousies, there was a strong spirit of federal nationalism. After the Federation, the “White Australia Policy” came into effect. In 1901 just 36% of the population lived in 6 capital cities. Today Australia is one of the most urbanized nations in the world, with 66% of the population living in 8 capital cities.
QUEENSLAND During its early years the new Queensland Colony had struggled to survive before Gold was discovered at Gympie in 1867. World War 1 had a major impact on Queensland as 58,000 had been sent to fight, and more than 10,000 died. When the troops returned to Australia in 1919, they brought back the “Spanish Flu” pandemic which killed more than 50 million people worldwide. Queensland was the first State to introduce compulsory voting in 1914 and is still the only State to have just a “Lower” house of its Parliament. The upper house of Queensland’s parliament was the Legislative Council. It was seen by some as undemocratic, and in 1915 they sought
