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The making of a nation: Who voted for Australian federation?

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  • Rohan Alexander
  • Timothy J. Hatton

Abstract

Between 1898 and 1900, six British colonies held referendums on whether or not to join together as states in a federal Australia. We focus on New South Wales, which was pivotal to the affirmative result. We associate the share of ‘yes’ votes at the polling booth level with a range of county‐level characteristics. We find no evidence that manufacturing districts favoured federation in the expectation of a higher tariff, and those born in the colony tended to vote against it. Voters close to land borders and further from Sydney strongly favoured federation but this support was undermined by low turnout.

Suggested Citation

  • Rohan Alexander & Timothy J. Hatton, 2025. "The making of a nation: Who voted for Australian federation?," Asia-Pacific Economic History Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(2), pages 192-214, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apechr:v:65:y:2025:i:2:p:192-214
    DOI: 10.1111/aehr.70008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alison Booth, 2026. "'Shearing the Rams': The Path to Nationhood," CEH Discussion Papers 01, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.

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