The Australian federation was formed on what date?

The Australian federation was formed on January 1st, 1901. On that date, six self-governing British colonies—New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia—joined to create the Commonwealth of Australia.

Federation created a national government while allowing the new states to retain their own parliaments and many local powers. The Australian Constitution divided responsibilities between the Commonwealth and the states, with the federal government taking charge of areas such as defence, customs, immigration and national trade.

The Constitution had been passed by the British Parliament in 1900 and received royal assent from Queen Victoria on July 9 of that year. It came into force on January 1, 1901, making that date the formal beginning of the Australian Commonwealth.

The inauguration ceremony took place in Centennial Park, Sydney. Edmund Barton became Australia’s first prime minister, and the first federal Parliament later met in Melbourne. Canberra was selected as the national capital several years afterward.