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British Navy captain Arthur Phillip founds a penal settlement at Sydney.
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Colony of Western Australia established at Perth by Captain James Stirling.
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South Australia established, with Adelaide as its capital.
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Australia becomes the first country to introduce the secret ballot - or 'Australian ballot' - for elections.
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Australia and England play the first-ever cricket Test match in Melbourne.
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Australia is Unified
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Outbreak of World War I. Australia commits hundreds of thousands of troops to the British war effort.
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The Great Depression following the Wall Street Crash hits Australia hard. Recovery is uneven, and the Labor government is defeated in the election in 1931.
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Olympic Games held in Melbourne.
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The Citizenship Act is amended to remove swearing an oath of allegiance to the British Crown.