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The Dutch were the first to sail to Australia, but they didn't settle there. They canceled further exploration of Australia due to Aborigines attacking.
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The captain names the area now known as New South Wales. Unlike the Dutch, he ignored the Aborigines and claimed the land for England.
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British prisoners sail and settle to Australia. The British thought it was a good prison area because there were few indigenous people, the prisoners couldn't escape, and there were no other colonies.
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The Australian government create the official boundaries for the colonies. The boundaries are still in effect today.
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Even though the prisons were good, the Australian government had a better idea. They thought of using Australia as a navy base. It was a good area because the location would allow them to make repairs and send supplies to British ships.
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During this time, the 6 colonies agreed to form the Commonwealth of Australia.Also during 1901, the immigration restriction act came into effect. It restricted migration to primarily of European descent.
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On may 9th, Canberra became the national capital of Australia. Before, Melbourne was the national capital.
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During the time that the british were in Australia, the Aborigines were treated unfairly. People took land away from them. Their land was invaded. Some Aborigines were killed. Others were taken from their family and were put into institutions. The customs and religion of the Aborigines were banned. All these bad things happened to the Aborigines. However, the Federal Government of Australia began to pass legislation to help the Aborigines.
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During 1986, the Australian Act was passed. It made all legal ties with the British Empire get severed. Today, Australia has a Parliamentary Democracy (constitutional monarchy) with Queen Elizabeth as the Queen.
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In 1999, the voters of Australia had to decide if they wanted Australia to become an independent republic.The results were very close. However, the decision was clear. 55% of the voters rejected the idea of becoming an independent republic. 45% approved the idea.
