Australia -- Politics and government; Great Britain -- Colonies -- Australia
The Senate is to be composed of eight members for each Province, which
is henceforth to be called a State, of whom one-half retire
triennially, directly chosen by the Houses of Parliament of the several
States for a period of six years. Senators are subject to no property
qualification, but must be of {220} the age of thirty years, have
resided for five years within the limits of the Commonwealth, be
entitled to vote for a member of the House of Representatives, and if
not British subjects by birth, have been naturalised for at least five
years before the time of their election. Bankrupts, criminals, and
Government contractors are specially disqualified. Similar provisions
and disqualifications apply to members of the House of Representatives,
except that the minimum age is reduced to twenty-one years, and that
the periods of residence and naturalisation are reduced from five years
to three. They are to be chosen, in constituencies of thirty thousand
inhabitants, by electors whose qualification shall be that prescribed
by each State as the qualification for electors of its more numerous
House of Parliament. The members of both Houses are to be paid at the
rate of L500 a year, and are precluded from sitting in a State
Parliament. The Parliament of the Commonwealth is to have authority to
deal with "external affairs and treaties," to take over the powers of
the Federal Council, which will cease to exist from the date of its
establishment, and to have the exclusive right to legislate in regard
to the affairs of the people of any race, not being Australian
aboriginals or Maoris of New Zealand, with respect to whom it is deemed
desirable to make laws not applicable to the general community; the
seat of the Federal Government and any places required {221} for
Federal purposes; and the provisional administration of any territory
surrendered by any State, and accepted by the Commonwealth, or any
territory in the Pacific placed by the Queen under the authority of and
accepted by the Commonwealth. The framers of the Constitution
doubtless had in view the Northern Territory, which, as it forms a
heavy burden upon its resources, South Australia might be glad to hand
over to the Federation. The Federal Parliament is also to deal
exclusively with the postal and telegraphic services, military and
naval defences and munitions of war, ocean beacons and lighthouses,
quarantine, and, as soon as a uniform tariff has been imposed, with
foreign and internal trade, bounties and duties of customs and excise.
In the meanwhile, the duties are to be collected by Federal officials,
but will be those that are, or may be, imposed by the Parliaments of
the several States. Upon the enactment of a uniform Federal tariff,
all such State laws will thereby be repealed and "trade and intercourse
throughout the Commonwealth, whether by means of internal carriage or
ocean navigation, shall be absolutely free." The expenditure of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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