Federation Posters and Activity Sheets

Place the steps towards Federation in order, from the 1849 Australian Colonies Government Bill through the 1890s conventions and referendums to the proclamation of the Commonwealth on 1 January 1901

Compare the reasons politicians gave for Federation with the benefits advertised to voters in South Australia in 1898 and Western Australia in 1900

Interpret colony-by-colony referendum results and describe what changed for voters before and after Federation, including who among women and Indigenous people could vote

Start from the teacher notes sheet - its Some Key Concepts list and dated Federation Moments timeline give the order the topic sheets are designed to follow

Pages 1–8 are posters; pages 9–16 hold two reproducible panels each, including teacher notes. Print the required page range before copying or separating the panels

The historical extracts, including Parkes's memoir and Ernest Scott's history, use language that may need explanation, and are worth reading together as a class before the questions are set

Reading historical sources - students work from Henry Parkes's memoir, Robert Garran's 1895 verse The Urgency of Federation, Ernest Scott's A Short History of Australia and campaign material issued to voters in 1898 and 1900.

Interpreting referendum data - Yes and No totals for 1898 and 1899–1900 are shown on maps for students to transfer to tally tables and interpret alongside a for-and-against summary.

Connecting past to present - the Then and Now sheet lists concerns from the federation process, such as protecting smaller states and access to Murray River water, against a blank column for concerns today.