Happy 125th birthday to the Commonwealth of Australia

May 9 is a beautiful time of year in Australia, with windy, high-skiing blue days. It is also a history that resonates with Australian civic history, writes history editor Dr Glenn Davies.

On 9 MAY 2026, the Australian Federal Parliament will celebrate its centenary. One hundred and twenty-five years ago the Australian Federal Parliament met. Royal Exhibition Building First time in Melbourne.

When Australians finally decided to form our own independent nation, the obvious day of the year for the inauguration of the Republic of Australia (the new Commonwealth) is 9 May.

On January 1, 1901, 60,000 people gathered. Centennial Park, Sydneyto bear witness to the declaration Federal Constitution. One hundred and twenty-five years later Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote: Sydney Morning Herald We talked about the significance of the 125th anniversary of the Australian federation and the impact Australia’s democratic processes, such as the “secret ballot”, women’s suffrage, compulsory voting and a fair wage for a fair day’s work, have had beyond our shores.

Albanese wrote:

‘This is what we can be proud to celebrate today: a democratic nation that Australians have created in peace, defended in war and strengthened with compassion, courage and an instinct for justice.’

He concluded his thought as follows:

‘When it came time to design the coat of arms of our new federation, the platypus missed the opportunity. Instead, we opted for two other iconic animals native to our continent: the kangaroo and the emu. Neither goes back; they only move forward. Just like Australia.’

After years of debate, on 1 January 1901 the various colonies in Australia came together to form a Federation. when new Constitution It called for the construction of a new capital city away from Australia’s major cities, by which time Melbourne would serve as the new nation’s seat of government.

Elections were held for Australia’s first Parliament and the newly formed Federal Parliament on 9 May 1901. swore in front of 12,000 people at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.

The first session was held the next day. Victorian Parliament House In Spring Street, Melbourne.

Group photo of all Federal Labor Party MPs elected at the inaugural election in 1901 (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

The opening of the new parliament was commemorated with oil on canvas by one of Australia’s best-known artists. Tom Roberts. Name of Roberts’ painting ‘Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia by His Royal Highnesses the Duke of Cornwall and York’May 9, 1901. Commonly known as “The Big PictureIn recognition of its grand scale, this painting, which measures 5.65 meters wide and 3.6 meters high, was painted on three separate pieces of canvas stitched together.

“The Big Picture” by Tom Roberts (image via Wikimedia Commons)

Shortly after its completion, the “Big Picture” was sent to England and King Edward VII. It hung there for years Palace of St. James Until Queen II. Until 1957, when Elizabeth agreed to return the painting to Australia permanently.

The painting was too large for its intended home in Canberra’s Old Parliament House and remained in storage for many years, only occasionally displayed. It was hung in the new High Court of Australia building in Canberra in 1981, following a major conservation project.

When designing the new Parliament House, a dedicated area for painting was included in the foyer. Main Committee Roomright in the heart of the building. This space includes architectural features such as skylights and balustrades designed to reflect Roberts’ original composition and connect the painting with other artworks of the period. Historical Monuments Collection. “The Big Picture” has been on permanent public display in the new Parliament House since 1988.

Melbourne served as the temporary federal capital of Australia from 1901 until 9 May 1927. Old Parliament House Opened in Canberra.

Then, on 9 May 1988, the Federal Parliament transitioned into a new parliament. Parliament Building in Capitol Hill, Canberra. Inside Walter Burley GriffinAccording to ‘s city plan, it was the most prominent place in Australia’s national capital. The New Parliament House is one of the largest buildings in the southern hemisphere.

The name of the new nation created on 1 January 1901 was the Commonwealth of Australia, and it continues to be used 125 years later. The irony here is that the Commonwealth of Australia was established as a constitutional monarchy with the British monarch as Head of State. But the term “Commonwealth” has a strong republican origin.

happened Henry ParkesPremier of New South Wales defending the name “Commonwealth of Australia” at the meeting 1891 National Australasian Convention. This was the title accepted by the delegates for the new nation, and despite some debate in the intervening years, it was the title accepted at the convention with little fuss. People’s Convention of 1897 and 1898.

It has been noted that Henry Parkes’s suggestion of the name “Commonwealth of Australia” had the old English meaning of “government for the common good”, and yet the popular republican meaning of “Commonwealth” and its associated associations with society. Oliver CromwellThe republic in Britain was known in the same way to the convention delegates when they adopted it.

When Oliver Cromwell offered him the English throne on 9 May 1657, he formally refused. Humble Petition and Recommendation. Cromwell is still considered the father of parliamentary democracy. Australians today are accustomed to the term “Commonwealth” running parallel to republican traditions without carrying overt connotations or implying the core institution of republicanism.

The British political origins of the structure of any future Australian republic can be seen in the adoption of the term “Commonwealth” – an Australian Head of State constrained by a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy rather than a US-style executive head.

When Australians finally decided it was time for our independence, the specific day of the year for the official inauguration of the Australian Republic is 9 May and the place where it will be held John Dunmore Lang PlaceA large area of grass located below Canberra’s King Edward Terrace and directly in line with both Houses of Parliament in Canberra.

John Dunmore Lang (1799–1878) was an Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist from Scotland who was the first leading advocate of an independent Australian nation and Australian republicanism. in 1850 founded the Australian League promoting national identity, resisting prisoner transportation, and promoting a federal republic.

In 1850, Lang introduced his ideas. Upcoming Event; Or United Provinces of AustraliaIt envisaged the formation of an independent Australian federal republic. By 1852 his republican activity culminated in the publication of: Freedom and Independence for Australia’s Golden Lands – A call for the establishment of the United States of Australia. This was the first case argued for an Australian republic and became an established slogan of political radicalism and republicanism in Australia.

9 May 1657, 9 May 1901, 9 May 1927, 9 May 1988.

It is in the park named after perhaps Australia’s greatest republican defender. Lake Burley GriffinOn May 9, Canberra will launch the Commonwealth of Australia, our future Australian republic.