In both instances there have been changes and modifications by legislative acts and judicial interpretations, but a Spanish judicial decision has even more weight in a Cuban tribunal than an English decision has in an American court because Cuba, being a younger Republic than the United States, is much nearer to its motherland in point of time, besides its closer resemblance in race, religion and customs. CHAPTER XXXI. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. The Commonwealth of Australia, created by an act of the Imperial Parliament in 1900 (63 and 64 Vic. cap. 12), is a federal State under the supreme authority of the Crown of Great Britain. This act of Parliament not only created a federal Commonwealth out of the colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, West Australia and Tasmania, but it also granted to the new Commonwealth a written constitution which is obviously modeled upon that of the United States of America. The constitution provides that "every law in force in a colony which has become or becomes a State shall, unless it is by this constitution exclusively vested in the Parliament of the Commonwealth or withdrawn from the Parliament of the State, continue as at the establishment of the Commonwealth or as at the admission or establishment of the State, as the case may be." It is also provided that "when a law of a State is inconsistent with a law of the Commonwealth the latter shall prevail and the former shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be invalid." All powers not delegated to the central or federal government are reserved to the States. However, in spite of its resemblance to other federal systems, the principle of the responsibility of ministers to Parliament proclaims its English parentage. The judicial power is exercised under the constitution by a federal supreme court, called the High Court of Justice, and other courts of federal jurisdiction. It is expressly provided in the Australian constitution that the Parliament of the Commonwealth shall, subject to the constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to "divorce and matrimonial causes, and in relation thereto, parental rights, and the custody and guardianship of infants." It will be observed that Parliament is given no power under the constitution to make laws prescribing the qualifications for marriage, the impediments thereto, and regulations concerning the celebration. All such power is reserved by the respective States. Moreover, the grant of power to Parliament to make laws with regard to "divorce and matrimonial causes" is not a power "by this constitution exclusively vested in the Parliament of the Commonwealth or withdrawn from the Parliament of the State."