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Do not fill this in! ===Federation to the World Wars=== {{Main|History of Australia (1901β1945)}} {{See also|Federation of Australia|Military history of Australia during World War I|Military history of Australia during World War II}} [[File:Opening of the first parliament.jpg|thumb|left|''[[The Big Picture (painting)|The Big Picture]]'', a painting by [[Tom Roberts]], depicts the opening of the first Australian Parliament in 1901.]] On 1 January 1901, [[Federation of Australia|federation of the colonies]] was achieved after a decade of planning, [[Constitutional Convention (Australia)|constitutional conventions]] and [[1898β1900 Australian constitutional referendums|referendums]], resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia as a nation under the new [[Constitution of Australia|Australian Constitution]].<ref name="Davison pp243-4">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998 |pages=243β44}}</ref> After the [[1907 Imperial Conference]], Australia and several other self-governing British [[settler colonialism|settler colonies]] were given the status of self-governing [[dominion]]s within the British Empire.<ref name="dominionstatus">{{Cite web|title=History of the Commonwealth|url=http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/commonwealth/history/|website=Commonwealth Network|publisher=Commonwealth of Nations|access-date=16 February 2015|archive-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425043631/http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/commonwealth/history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia was one of the founding members of the [[League of Nations]] in 1920,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Covenant of the League of Nations |url=https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/covenant |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127003532/https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/covenant |archive-date=2024-01-27 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The United Nations Office at Geneva |language=en}}</ref> and subsequently of the [[Member states of the United Nations|United Nations]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Growth in United Nations membership |url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/growth-in-un-membership |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201204200/https://www.un.org/en/about-us/growth-in-un-membership |archive-date=2024-02-01 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref> The [[Statute of Westminster 1931]] formally ended the ability of the UK to pass laws with effect at the Commonwealth level in Australia without the country's consent. Australia [[Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942|adopted it]] in 1942, but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament during World War II.<ref name="Davison p609">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=609}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-25.html |title=Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (Cth) |publisher=National Archives of Australia |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=12 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212020054/http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-25.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|sowaa1942379|Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942}}</ref> The [[Australian Capital Territory]] was formed in 1911 as the location for the future federal capital of [[Canberra]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-04-25 |title=Establishing the nation's capital |url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn/resources/factsheets/establishing-the-nations-capital |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory |language=en |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208115409/https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn/resources/factsheets/establishing-the-nations-capital |url-status=live }}</ref> While it was being constructed, [[Melbourne]] served as the temporary capital from 1901 to 1927.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4332 |title=When Melbourne was Australia's capital city|last=Otto|first=Kristin|date=25 June β 9 July 2007|publisher=University of Melbourne |access-date=29 March 2010|location=Melbourne, Victoria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402083202/http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4332/ |archive-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Northern Territory]] was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the federal parliament in 1911.<ref name="Souter2012">{{Cite book|first=Gavin|last=Souter|title=Lion & Kangaroo: The Initiation of Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQIBMD23lL0C&pg=PT141|year=2012|publisher=Xoum Publishing|isbn=978-1-9220-5700-6|page=141|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=13 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413130303/https://books.google.com/books?id=oQIBMD23lL0C&pg=PT141|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia became the colonial ruler of the [[Territory of Papua]] (which had initially been annexed by Queensland in 1883) in 1902 and of the [[Territory of New Guinea]] (formerly [[German New Guinea]]) in 1920.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=McDermott |first=Peter M |date=2009 |title=Australian Citizenship and the Independence of Papua New Guinea |url=https://austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLawJl/2009/3.html |journal=UNSW Law Journal |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=50β2 |via=[[Austlii]] |access-date=8 February 2024 |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208072215/https://austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLawJl/2009/3.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|num_act|nga1920251920138|New Guinea Act 1920}}</ref> The two were unified as the [[Territory of Papua and New Guinea]] in 1949 and gained independence from Australia in 1975.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://unimelb.libguides.com/png |title=Papua New Guinea Legal Research Guide |publisher=University of Melbourne |access-date=2 April 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604205454/https://unimelb.libguides.com/png |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Darwin 42.jpg|thumb|The 1942 [[Bombing of Darwin]], the first of over 100 [[Air raids on Australia, 1942β1943|Japanese air raids on Australia]] during [[World War II]]]] In 1914, Australia joined the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] in fighting the First World War, and took part in many of the major battles fought on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 June 2021 |title=First World War 1914β18 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120020555/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war |archive-date=2024-01-20 |access-date= |website=Australian War Memorial}}</ref> Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tucker|first=Spencer |title=Encyclopedia of World War I|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|year=2005|page=273|isbn=978-1-8510-9420-2|url={{GBurl|id=2YqjfHLyyj8C|p=273}}}}</ref> Many Australians regard the defeat of the [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] (ANZAC) at [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]] in 1915 as the "baptism of fire" that forged the [[Anzac spirit|new nation's identity]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reed |first=Liz |title=Bigger than Gallipoli: war, history, and memory in Australia |publisher=University of Western Australia |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-9206-9419-7 |location=Crawley, Western Australia |page=5}}</ref><ref>Macintyre, Stuart (2000) ''A Concise History of Australia'' Cambridge: [[Cambridge University Press]], pp. 151β53, {{ISBN|978-0-521-62359-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2024 |title=The Anzac legend |url=https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/personnel/anzac-legend |website=Department of Veterans' Affairs |access-date=9 February 2024 |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304225421/https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/personnel/anzac-legend |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Landing at Anzac Cove|beginning of the campaign]] is commemorated annually on [[Anzac Day|Anzac day]], a date which rivals Australia day as the nation's most important.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dennis |first1=Peter |title=The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History |last2=Grey |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Morris |first3=Ewan |last4=Prior |first4=Robin |last5=Bou |first5=Jean |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-1955-1784-2 |edition=2nd |location=Melbourne |pages=32, 38 |author2-link=Jeffrey Grey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Manne |first=Robert |date=2007-04-25 |title=The war myth that made us |url=https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-war-myth-that-made-us-20070425-ge4qmh.html |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=The Age |language=en |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304225419/https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-war-myth-that-made-us-20070425-ge4qmh.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From 1939 to 1945, Australia joined the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in fighting the Second World War. Australia's [[Australian Defence Force|armed forces]] fought in the [[Pacific War|Pacific]], [[European Theatre of World War II|European]] and [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Mediterranean and Middle East]] [[List of theaters and campaigns of World War II|theatres]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beaumont |first=Joan |editor=Beaumont, Joan|author-link=Joan Beaumont |title=Australia's War, 1939β1945 |year=1996 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Sydney |isbn=978-1-86448-039-9 |chapter=Australia's war: Europe and the Middle East}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beaumont |first=Joan |editor=Beaumont, Joan |title=Australia's War, 1939β1945 |year=1996a |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Sydney |isbn=978-1-86448-039-9 |chapter=Australia's war: Asia and the Pacific}}</ref> The shock of Britain's [[fall of Singapore|defeat in Singapore]] in 1942, followed soon after by the [[bombing of Darwin]] and [[Air raids on Australia, 1942β43|other Japanese attacks on Australian soil]], led to a widespread belief in Australia that [[Proposed Japanese invasion of Australia during World War II|a Japanese invasion was imminent]], and a shift from the United Kingdom to the [[AustraliaβUnited States relations|United States]] as Australia's principal ally and security partner.<ref name="Davison pp22-3">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=22β23}}</ref> Since 1951, Australia has been allied with the United States under the [[ANZUS]] treaty.<ref name="Davison p30">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=30}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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