---
node: au_federation
type: period
slug: federation_era_australia
title: "Federation era"
lead: "In 1901 six colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia, and the era shaped the institutions and national identity of the new country."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: federation_era_australia.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Federation_fireworks_for_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York_in_Brisbane_in_1901_(7220264150).jpg"
image_author: "Aussie~mobs"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Overview

On 1 January 1901 six colonies — including New South Wales and Victoria — united to create the Commonwealth of Australia, and Edmund Barton became the first prime minister.

## Key developments

The new federal parliament quickly passed laws that would define the country, including the White Australia Policy (Immigration Restriction Act), women's suffrage, and industrial arbitration. Planning for the capital, Canberra, also began.

## End and transition

The young nation set out as a self-governing dominion of Britain, and in 1914 it entered the First World War — an experience that would profoundly reshape its national identity.