Chapter 186: Chapter 180: Australia and the New Zealand Federation
On March 20, 1904, officials from the Australian Governnt and the New Zealand Governnt officially t in Sydney, Australia, and began a peaceful discussion period that lasted over ten days.
These so-called peaceful discussions were actually negotiations between the two governnts on the process of forming a Federation, as well as discussing how much power the two countries would have in the Federation and the future relationship between the two governnts.
Although the formation of a Federation between New Zealand and Australia had beco inevitable, the question of who should lead the Federation and how the two regions should rge was still a matter for discussion.
There were many participants in the eting, mainly the Australian Duchy Governnt and the New Zealand Governnt, which ca from the temporary reformation of the New Zealand colonial governnt.
In fact, there is essentially no difference between the current New Zealand Governnt and the New Zealand Colonial Governnt, other than Arthur’s status.
In addition to the governnts of the two countries and regions, mbers of the Houses of Parliant from Australia and New Zealand also attended the eting.
However, in reality, whether it is Australia or New Zealand, whether it is the governnt or the parliant, both are basically controlled by Arthur.
Therefore, this conversation between New Zealand and Australia to form a Federation can also be regarded as a conversation among Arthur’s subordinates.
Indeed, if Arthur so wished, such talks would not even be necessary. After all, New Zealand’s executive power is also controlled by Arthur. General Pierce, who held military power, returned to the British Empire after the referendum in New Zealand, and the current New Zealand garrison has been renad the New Zealand National Defense Army, with the commander also being sent by Arthur.
Despite this, the division of power between the two regions after the formation of the Federation still needs to be clearly defined.
After all, any gaps and differences may cause the huge nation to disintegrate in the future, and Arthur’s hard-won Australian base may also be affected.
The eting lasted for more than ten days, during which various detailed power divisions, including the parliant, governnt, etc., were discussed, and so analysis and conjecture were made regarding any possible situations that may arise in the future Federation.
On April 11, 1904, Australia and New Zealand jointly issued a statent announcing the establishnt of the Australia and New Zealand Federation, with the Federal Capital in Sydney.
Also on that day, at the request of a large number of New Zealand people and many New Zealand high officials, Arthur agreed to beco the Duke of New Zealand, serving as an elected Duke to rule the Principality of New Zealand.
Although Australia and the new New Zealand both adopted monarchy, there are still significant differences in terms of structure and other aspects.
Australia is a monarchist duchy similar to a territory, and the whole of Australia can be regarded as Arthur’s private property.
However, the title of Duke of Australia is also under the British Empire’s royal family, which ans that the Australian Duchy has an inseparable relationship with the British Empire.
If one day, the Australian royal family where Arthur belongs becos extinct, the title of Duke of Australia will return to the hands of the British Empire, as it is a duchy under the British Empire.
But New Zealand is different; the Duke of New Zealand can be said to be an elected title. The title cos from the will of the people of New Zealand and is not granted by others.
As long as Arthur does not lose the support of New Zealanders, this title will continue to exist and can even be inherited by people outside the family.
It was also an opportunity for a small change in Australia’s administrative region: a few dozen kiloters near Sydney were designated separately and the Federal Capital Territory was established.
As an administrative unit equivalent to the state, the highest official of the Federal Capital Territory is called the Governor, and their position and authority are equivalent to the governors of other states.
anwhile, the Principality of New Zealand was also divided into two states, the North New Zealand State, consisting of the North Island of New Zealand, and the South New Zealand State, made up of the South Island of New Zealand.
This clearly defined the scope and administration of the Australia and New Zealand Federation, which consists of three parts: the Australian Duchy, the Principality of New Zealand, and the New Guinea Colony.
Among them, the New Guinea Colony has a special status, directly belonging to the royal family, with the Governor directly appointed by Arthur, and having independent administrative powers.
Officials of the Australian Governnt and the New Zealand Governnt are elected by the Australian House of Commons and the New Zealand House of Commons respectively, while the Australian and New Zealand Parliants jointly form the Federal Upper House (Royal Parliant) and the Federal House of Representatives.
Representing the rights of the royal family and citizens, the Royal Parliant is appointed directly by Arthur, the Federal Monarch, while the House of Representatives consists of elections held within all federal jurisdictions (including the New Guinea Colony), and eligible voters are all Australian and New Zealand federal residents who have legal citizenship and have lived in the Federation for twenty years.
The new federal governnt is a typical two-national one, with both Australia and New Zealand having their own independent governnts, as well as a unified federal governnt.
At present, the federal governnt is mainly composed of the Australian Governnt. Only a small number of New Zealand governnt officials have entered the federal governnt, assuming so not-so-important positions.
The election model of the Australian Governnt was basically transferred to the federal governnt. As long as the officials of New Zealand have the ability and confidence, they are entirely capable of participating in the next governnt election, by which ti they may even beco the Pri Minister of the federal governnt.
In order to appease the officials of the New Zealand Governnt, the North New Zealand State and the South New Zealand State have mostly assigned their officials, and they can choose the positions they want until the next state governnt election.
This has indeed comforted so New Zealand officials who were originally unhappy, at least knowing that they could not compete against Australian officials in a short period of ti.
Serving as an official of a state governnt was enough to satisfy their appetite. After all, they retained their original positions while gaining so state governnt positions and powers.
In fact, the least changed were the Royal Parliant and the House of Representatives. These two parliants were actually a combination of the Australian and New Zealand Houses of Parliant.
This has led to the current total number of mbers in the Federal Royal Parliant exceeding twenty and the total number in the House of Representatives exceeding two hundred and forty.
All mbers of Parliant of Australia and New Zealand have joined the current Federal House of Representatives.
At least before the next House of Representatives election, they can temporarily maintain their status.
In terms of functions, the House of Representatives is elected from each state, with Australia’s six states occupying 198 seats and the two states of New Zealand occupying 42 seats.
These mbers elected by each state make up a total number of two hundred and forty in the House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives has legislative powers, supervisory powers, and the power to impeach all officials outside the cabinet governnt, while all positions in the cabinet governnt are also elected by the House of Representatives.
In the Royal Parliant, mbers are composed of current cabinet governnt officials, adult male mbers of the royal family, mbers appointed by the monarch, and colonial governors and territorial governors. Except for adult male mbers of the royal family, the term of the other mbers of the Royal Parliant is equivalent to the term of their positions.
The term of office of mbers directly appointed by Arthur is slightly longer, but no more than five years. Unless Arthur reappoints them, after five years, they will no longer be mbers of the Royal Parliant.
In other words, Pri Ministers and Ministers of the Cabinet Governnt, Governors of the New Guinea Colony and the Capital Territory, automatically gain the status of Federal Royal Parliant mbers.
But similarly, if they are no longer the Pri Minister and Ministers of the Cabinet Governnt or Governors of the colonies and territories, they will automatically lose their status as mbers of the Royal Parliant.
The powers of the Royal Parliant are very extensive, possessing legislative powers, judicial powers, supervisory powers, the right to impeach any official, and the right to reject proposals of the House of Representatives.
Yes, the powers of the House of Representatives are enormous, but all of this depends on a precondition, which is that the proposal of the House of Representatives must pass smoothly through the Royal Parliant.
All proposals from the House of Representatives can only be implented with the approval of the Royal Parliant, and Arthur controls the Royal Parliant by various ans.
First of all, the governors of the colony and the capital territory are all directly appointed by Arthur and are naturally loyal to him.
Secondly, although the mbers of the cabinet governnt are elected by the House of Representatives, they must also be formally appointed by Arthur before taking office.
Without Arthur’s appointnt, at least from a legal point of view, they cannot officially beco cabinet mbers in terms of status or practice.
Therefore, even if they have great ambitions, they must remain loyal to the monarchy that prevails in the Federation of Australia and New Zealand and must remain loyal to the monarch with boundless prestige.
Moreover, besides the Royal Parliant, Arthur still had a trump card – that the monarch had the ability to overturn everything.
With the establishnt of the Federation, the Australian Constitution was officially renad the Federal Constitution and applied throughout the Federation of Australia and New Zealand.
The constitution stipulates that the monarch has supre power and can dissolve the Royal Parliant, the House of Representatives, and dismiss the cabinet governnt under special circumstances, forming a provisional governnt appointed by the monarch.
This ans that Arthur can dissolve the powerful Royal Parliant, House of Representatives, and cabinet governnt in an ergency, turning the Federation into a thoroughly dictatorial rule.
But such power can only beco a card that is basically not used because once this card is used, the country may be engulfed in crisis, and the prestige of the royal family and the governnt collapses completely.
However, in reality, Arthur, who controlled the military power and had a huge reputation among the people, did not worry about the arrival of such a special situation.
Not to ntion the present, even in the next few decades, it is basically impossible for a rival to be born within the Federation who can compete with the royal powers. This confidence cos from Arthur’s experience in later generations.
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