Year 9

Australian Geographic takes you through this transfomative period following Federation, highlighting and capturing key movements such as the White Australia policy, protectionism versus free trade, industrialisation and growth of immigration while World War I begins in Europe.

A collection of documents which shaped Australian History

The Australian Constitution created the nation that is Australia today. More than a century ago a group of influential people sought to give the six colonies of Australia a united voice in their dealings with Great Britain. They also wanted freedom of trade and movement among them. For almost a decade this group of prominent nationalists and leading politicians worked to create what became the Constitution. This is their story: a story of how Australia's supporters at home and in Britain worked to create the framework for the Commonwealth. In this book you will find the full text of the Constitution, along with explanations of the most important and influential sections, how changes were made, and how Australia ultimately achieved full independence. Without the legal framework of the Constitution, the Commonwealth of Australia as we know it would not exist.

This book takes us back to Britain in 1787 to relate the stories of the convicts selected to be sent to the other side of the world and establish a new penal colony. It tells how they fell foul of the draconian laws of the day, how they fitted into society, and how they were made to pay for their crimes.

Australia is the last continent to be settled by Europeans, but it also sustains a people and a culture tens of thousands years old. For much of the past 200 years the newcomers have sought to replace the old with the new. This book tells how they imposed themselves on the land, and describes how they brought technology, institutions and ideas to make it their own.