The Birth of British Australia - Topic 4.3 Flashcards
The spreading impact of Australia as a colony and the extent and nature of colonial control
What was the nature of colonial control of Van Diemen’s Land?
1803-1837
Port Risdon (Hobart) was chosen becuase of its strategic value to New South Wales and because the island was a key area for whaling, which New South Wales depended on.
In 1824, the settlement has no longer semi-controlled by Sydney and had its governor-general. Van Diemen’s Land became a dumping ground for the transports worst and most hardened prisoners.
What was life as a convict in Van Diemen’s Land described as?
1823-1837
Under Governor Arthur, Tasmania operated under a more totalitarian version of New South Wales, with the island being split by police districts each under the control of a police magistrate and control over free settlers and convicts was exercised by the withholding of assigned labour.
Convicts were made to work through each of the seven levels of punishment created by Arthur before achieving freedom. Early pardons were non-existent in Tasmania.
How did the whaling and sealing industries develop in Australia?
1791-1860s
Whaling began with the arrival of the Third Fleet, and became Australia’s main industry before wooling became the largest. Whales and seals provided bones, whale oil and seal blubber and skins which all sold for high prices. This enabled the colonies to buy the goods they needed, especially rum. Emancipists and Currency dominated these industries as it made serious money, where they could become rich similar to their Exclusive counterparts.
Free trade of skins and oil between the colony and England was established in 1805 after the EIC failed to stop the transport of the goods without them going through India first.
How was the crossing of the Blue Mountains important to New South Wales?
1813, 1818-1819, 1824-1825
1813:
- The successful expedition managed to survey a route over the Blue Mountains and found a vast expanse of bush and grasslands. The road was built with convict labour in less than six months and settlers began to populate the area shortly after.
1818-19:
- The surveyor general pushed further west and north-east, discovering the Liverpool Plains
- Charles Throsby’s expedition opened up more land beyond the Blue Mountains for settlement which had rich fertile land and would be equal to any population increase for may years
1824-25:
- The Australian Agricultural Company was established by Royal Charter in Britain and was given one million acres in New South Wales for agricultural development
- Sheep farming operations began in 1825 and cheap labour was sourced through convicts, Aboriginal workers and indentured labourers on seven-year contracts
Describe the settlement of Western Australia at Swan River
And the nature of the colony
1829
Captain Stirling, who knew very little about agriculture, had persuaded the government to set up a free settler colony in Western Australia, earlier claimed by Britain in 1791, and established the Swan River Company.
The company took 10,000 free settlers, most whom were rich, young men, in exchange of a large land grant of 40 acres per £3 the settlers had in assets.
Early settlement was struggled similar to the rest of the colonies, as famine was threatening the colony.
Why is Western Australia important in the changing attitude of Australia?
How did thinking change with the establishment of the colony?
Western Australia demonstrates that Britain no longer viewed Australia as an open-air prison but as a potential for wealth and opportunity. Future settlements in the continent followed a similar pattern of free-settler colonies through the mechanism of private finance, facilitated by government protection, and in Australia’s case, convict labour to expand British imperialism and Empire.
How did politics develop in Australia?
1788-1829
Initial settlement - 1788-1809:
- Governors, early on, had almost unlimited power and run the colony how they pleased with the government back in London having little to do with the colony
Macquarie - 1809-21:
- Macquarie’s governorship is credited with transforming New South Wales from a prison camp into a colony but the powers of the governor remained the same. Communications with London were more frequent, and with that meant far more scrutiny of the colony and Macquarie, leading to the eventual disposition by the Exclusives
Bigge Inquiry - 1819-21:
- Convict labour should primarily be assigned to sheep farms, rather than used in public work programmes
- Early pardons and tickets of leave granted under Macquarie and the land grants to Emancipists should cease
- Positions of responsibility should not be given to Emancipists
How far was colonial control of Australia centralised by 1829?
Centralised and controlled by Parliament
1823
The New South Wales Act of 1823 was passed after the Bigge Report; it altered the position of governors in the existing colonies and paved the way for self-government (in the hands of the landed wealthy) later in the century.
- A legislative council was created; members were not elected but worthy citizens (Exclusives) were asked to serve in the assembly to advise the governors
- The justice system became independent of the governor and a supreme court was established with a chief justice
- Van Diemen’s Land was to operate as a separate colony and a legislative council and supreme court were to operate there too
How far was colonial control of Australia centralised by 1829?
Centralised and controlled by Parliament
1828-29
The legislative councils were expanded from seven to fifteen in 1828, of which seven were nominated by the governor.
By 1829, the unlimited powers of the governor were restricted by interventions and communications by London and the Exclusives exercised considerable power in the legislative council.
Land grants were now made to the AAC, the VDLC and the SRC by Parliament rather than the governor, and focused more on imperial settlement rather than transportation and the companies ran the risks of imperialism rather than the government.
