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142-512: The ministry fell due to internal pressures within the party room, stemming in part from Hal Colebatch 's handling as Acting Premier of quarantine regulations arising from the influenza epidemic , with Lefroy and two ministers at one point being stranded in Melbourne for several weeks. A party meeting on their return resulted in Lefroy resigning the leadership and Colebatch being elected leader. He formed

284-492: A 1900 referendum , and so it became one of the six states of Australia on 1 January 1901. The Morning Herald eventually collapsed, and so in 1904, Colebatch moved to Northam , a town in Western Australia's Wheatbelt . Largely using borrowed money, he bought his own newspaper: The Northam Advertiser . A friend from Broken Hill, J. T. Nichols, was put in charge of printing the newspaper, leaving Colebatch in charge of

426-543: A better candidate must contest the East Province, and so Colebatch became a last-minute candidate. He supported the transcontinental railway line passing through Northam and a developmental railway being built from Armadale to Brookton. Colebatch won the East Province, beating Marwick by a small margin in every polling place except for in Marwick's home town of York. Colebatch took his seat on 27 June 1912. He did not contest

568-792: A book at the request of Collier on the history of Western Australia to commemorate the state's centenary . He also sat on the Royal Commission on the Constitution. In 1928 , he was elected to the Australian Senate , where he spent much of his time criticising protectionism , blaming it for worsening the Great Depression . He resigned in 1933 to take the position of agent-general again. The Western Australian secession referendum occurred soon after Colebatch became agent-general, in which 66.23% of electors voted in favour of seceding. Colebatch

710-463: A chemist and farmer, and Georgina Gardiner. The family had six sons and one daughter, with an additional two children who died as infants. They were low church Anglicans. They are descended from John Colebatch , a physician who was knighted by King George I . The Colebatch family once owned a castle at Colebatch, Shropshire , and had extensive lands elsewhere in England and France long before Hal

852-728: A child, 307 convicts, 17 convicts' wives, and seven children). They had been sent from England in HMS ; Calcutta under the command of Captain Daniel Woodriff , principally out of fear that the French, who had been exploring the area, might establish their own settlement and thereby challenge British rights to the continent. In 1826, Colonel Stewart, Captain Samuel Wright, and Lieutenant Burchell were sent in HMS  Fly (Captain Wetherall) and

994-463: A conservative majority. According to historian Brian De Garis , "for a man like Colebatch, there could not have been a more opportune moment for launching a parliamentary career". He says it would have been difficult for Colebatch to stand out if he had entered the conservative-dominated upper house during a Liberal government, but entering during a Labor government gave him an opportunity to use his formidable debating skills. Colebatch would soon become

1136-778: A cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state. Winters along the coast of the state, particularly around Melbourne , are relatively mild ( see chart ). The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region. The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby semi-deserts. Average temperatures exceed 32 °C (90 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Except at cool mountain elevations,

1278-581: A general economic recession in eastern Australia hurt the prosperity of Broken Hill. The Silver Age , by then known as the Broken Hill Age , was on the verge of collapse and the payment of Colebatch's wages had become irregular. Colebatch was ready to leave Broken Hill when in 1894, he received a letter from his friend Sidney Hocking saying that he had just purchased the Western Argus , Kalgoorlie's weekly newspaper, and wanted Colebatch to take his place at

1420-498: A minister in the James ministry for four years, but resigned to become agent-general in 1923. He served most of his time as agent-general under a Labor government as Phillip Collier beat Mitchell in an election in March 1924 . While agent-general, he toured Italy and met Benito Mussolini , which led him to form his anti-fascist political beliefs. After returning to Australia in 1927, he wrote

1562-569: A new multi-member proportional representation system. The State of Victoria was divided into eight electorates with each electorate represented by five representatives elected by Single Transferable Vote . The total number of upper house members was reduced from 44 to 40 and their term of office is now the same as the lower house members—four years. Elections for the Victorian Parliament are now fixed and occur in November every four years. Prior to

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1704-700: A number of museums, art galleries, and theatres; in 2016 a sports marketing company named it the world's sporting capital. Victoria has 38 seats in the Australian House of Representatives and 12 seats in the Australian Senate . At state level, the Parliament of Victoria consists of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council . The Labor Party , led by Jacinta Allan as premier , has governed Victoria since 2014. The Governor of Victoria ,

1846-637: A prominent position in the Liberal Party's governance. In February 1913, he was elected as a vice-president of the party's executive committee. His opponents used this to attack his claimed position of being above party politics. One of the bills the government introduced in 1913 was the Electoral Districts Bill, which proposed having commissioners design the electoral districts rather than parliament and introduced equally-populated constituencies for all of Western Australia except for three seats in

1988-608: A purchasing agent for government departments, recruit for specialist positions, communicate with the premier about the goings on in London, promote migration to Western Australia, represent the state at ceremonies, assist Western Australians in London, and generally do things to raise the profile of the state. He became chairman of the committee responsible for the Australian section of the British Empire Exhibition in 1924 after

2130-583: A rate of 8,227 per 100,000 people, up 4.4% on the previous year. While there have been some dips along the way, the rate of recorded offences have increased year on year since 2011, when the figure was 6,937.7 offences per 100,000 people. Victoria has a parliamentary form of government based on the Westminster System . Legislative power resides in the Parliament consisting of the Governor (the representative of

2272-533: A reward for their service in the army. Harley became editor though Hal continued to write for it. On his way to England, Colebatch passed through Queensland . Mitchell had asked Colebatch to find him an advisor on tropical agriculture. After talking to Queensland Premier Ted Theodore , Colebatch found Frank Wise in Townsville and recommended him to the Western Australian Government. Wise accepted

2414-577: A semi-nomadic existence of fishing, hunting and gathering, and farming eels. At the Keilor Archaeological Site , a human hearth excavated in 1971 was radiocarbon-dated to about 31,000 years BP , making Keilor one of the earliest sites of human habitation in Australia. A cranium found at the site has been dated at between 12,000 and 14,700 years BP . Archaeological sites in Tasmania and on

2556-647: A series of short-lived newspapers in the South Australian goldfields, including the Petersburg Times . In 1888, aged 16, Colebatch moved to Broken Hill in New South Wales , working as a reporter for the Silver Age for six years. Broken Hill suffered three droughts, four typhoid epidemics, and numerous worker strikes during the time that Colebatch was there. He reported on a number of strike meetings in

2698-555: A train from Adelaide were put in an improvised quarantine camp in Parkeston just east of Kalgoorlie where the railway gauge changed. William Watt , the acting prime minister , threatened Western Australia with dire consequences for impounding the train. Watt told Lefroy that: The Commonwealth Government will hold your government responsible for all damage done to trains, expenditure incurred, and loss sustained in connection with seizures. Unless I receive from you before 5 p.m. on Wednesday

2840-934: Is also home to four of Australia's 20 largest cities : Melbourne , Geelong , Ballarat and Bendigo . Victoria is home to numerous Aboriginal groups, including the Boonwurrung , the Bratauolung , the Djadjawurrung , the Gunai , the Gunditjmara , the Taungurung , the Wathaurong , the Wurundjeri , and the Yorta Yorta . There were more than 30 Aboriginal languages spoken in the area prior to European colonisation. In 1770 James Cook claimed

2982-512: Is at 39°12' S, which passes through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait for 85 metres. Victoria contains many topographically, geologically and climatically diverse areas, ranging from the wet, temperate climate of Gippsland in the southeast to the snow-covered Victorian alpine areas which rise to almost 2,000 m (6,600 ft), with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1,986 m (6,516 ft). There are extensive semi-arid plains to

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3124-399: Is divided into distinct geographic regions , most commonly for the purposes of economic development , while others for land management (agriculture or conservation) and for censusing (statistical or meteorological) or electoral purposes. The most commonly used regions are those created by the state government for the purposes of economic development . In addition to Greater Melbourne ,

3266-802: Is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District , making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 377.8 mm (14.87 in) at Tidal River in Wilsons Promontory National Park on 23 March 2011. At March 2024 Victoria had a population of 6,959,200. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population may well reach 10.3 million by 2051. Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from Southern and Eastern Europe , Asia and, most recently, Africa and

3408-425: Is located 10 km (6 mi) south of Bendigo . Due to its central location and the region's historical ties to the gold rush, the town is widely regarded as the "Heart of Gold". The state's capital, Melbourne, contains about 70% of the state's population and dominates its economy, media, and culture. For other cities and towns, see list of localities (Victoria) and local government areas of Victoria . Victoria

3550-454: Is particularly strong in Bendigo and its environs. In 1854 at Ballarat, an armed rebellion against the government of Victoria was made by miners protesting against mining taxes (the " Eureka Stockade "). This was crushed by British troops, but the confrontation persuaded the colonial authorities to reform the administration of mining concessions (reducing the hated mining licence fees) and extend

3692-809: The Morning Herald as its mining and chess editor. He also became the Western Australian correspondent for the British Australasian and the Financial Times and the metropolitan correspondent for several regional newspapers. Among the things he reported on was Premier John Forrest 's announcement of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme . Colebatch married Saunders on 29 April 1896 in St George's Cathedral, Perth . In 1898, Colebatch

3834-455: The Morning Herald , but after that newspaper collapsed, he moved to Northam where he started The Northam Advertiser . He also became friends with local bank manager James Mitchell and convinced Mitchell to run for state parliament . Colebatch was the mayor of Northam between 1909 and 1912. Colebatch became a member of parliament himself when he was elected to the East Province of

3976-761: The 1924 Western Australian state election occurred, in which Labor, led by Philip Collier , defeated the Coalition , led by James Mitchell. Colebatch spend the rest of his term as agent-general under a Labor Western Australian Government. Among the things the role entailed was representing the State Government in negotiations with the British Government, the Australian Government and sometimes other foreign governments, deal with European investors and companies operating in Western Australia, arrange loans, work as

4118-463: The Australian Bureau of Statistics as being a population cluster of 1,000 or more people. The below figures broadly represent the populations of the contiguous built-up areas of each city: Victoria has a varied climate that ranges from semi-arid temperate with hot summers in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces

4260-577: The Bass Strait Islands have been dated to between 20,000 to 35,000 years ago when sea levels were 130 metres below present level allowing First Nations Peoples to move across the region of southern Victoria and onto the land bridge of the Bassian plain to Tasmania by at least 35,000 years ago. During the Ice Age about 20,000 years BP , the area now the bay of Port Phillip would have been dry land, and

4402-585: The Bass Strait to the south (with the exception of a small land border with Tasmania located along Boundary Islet ), the Great Australian Bight portion of the Southern Ocean to the southwest, and the Tasman Sea (a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean ) to the southeast. The state encompasses a range of climates and geographical features from its temperate coastal and central regions to

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4544-735: The Fremantle Lumpers Union (FLU) — were working at Fremantle Harbour . The two unions often disagreed with each other and the Commonwealth Arbitration Board favoured the NWWU. Western Australia had a shortage of many essential goods such as medical supplies and food as a result of the earlier shipping strike and the need to quarantine. When the SS Dimboola arrived in Perth from Melbourne, carrying passengers (including Lefroy) and cargo,

4686-556: The Golden Age in Coolgardie. Colebatch left for Western Australia later that year. Upon arriving in Fremantle , he had made just enough money gambling to catch the train to Southern Cross , but he had to walk the remaining 180 kilometres (110 mi) across the desert to Coolgardie instead of taking a coach, arriving there in early 1895. Coolgardie soon died down as all the surface gold

4828-416: The Legislative Assembly seat of Northam in the 1905 state election , defeating the incumbent Labor candidate, and held it until 1933 . Although Colebatch was the better public speaker of the two, he often put Mitchell's political career ahead of his own. Although he likely would have probably easily won it, Colebatch did not contest the seat as he would have to oust his friend. Mitchell rose rapidly in

4970-593: The Legislative Council in 1912. Upon Frank Wilson becoming premier in July 1916, Colebatch was appointed Minister for Education and Colonial Secretary . During a Spanish flu outbreak in South Australia and Victoria in early 1919, Colebatch was Acting Premier as Premier Henry Lefroy was travelling interstate. Colebatch chose to close the Western Australian border , leaving Lefroy and two ministers stuck outside

5112-530: The Middle East . Victoria's population is ageing in proportion with the average of the remainder of the Australian population. About 72% of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66% in Melbourne but rises to higher than 95% in some rural areas in the north west of the state. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal . More than 75% of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in

5254-516: The Nationalist Party , and in June, the new party elected Henry Lefroy as its leader. Wilson resigned as premier, and so Lefroy was appointed to the position. Colebatch became the unofficial deputy premier and kept his previous positions in the new ministry . Despite this, Colebatch stated his distaste in the way that Wilson had been ousted and was disappointed that Mitchell was no longer in

5396-592: The Victoria State Government has divided Victoria into five regions covering all parts of the state. The five regional Victoria divisions are: The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines regions for its own purposes, some of which share names with the economic regions, even though the exact boundaries may not correlate. As of November 2014, they are: This is a list of places in the Australian state of Victoria by population. Urban centres are defined by

5538-573: The Victorian Alps in the northeast and the semi-arid northwest. The majority of the Victorian population is concentrated in the central-south area surrounding Port Phillip , and in particular within the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne , Victoria's state capital and largest city and also Australia's second-largest city , where over three-quarters of the culturally diverse population live (35.1% of inhabitants being immigrants ). The state

5680-554: The Wada wurrung , Woiwurrung and Bun wurrung languages describe the flooding of the bay. Hobsons Bay was once a kangaroo hunting ground. Creation stories describe how Bunjil was responsible for the formation of the bay, or the bay was flooded when the Yarra River was created. Victoria, like Queensland , was named after Queen Victoria , who had been on the British throne for 14 years when

5822-566: The Yarra and Werribee rivers would have joined to flow through the heads then south and south west through the Bassian plain before meeting the ocean to the west. Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands became separated from mainland Australia around 12,000 BP, when the sea level was approximately 50m below present levels. Port Phillip was flooded by post-glacial rising sea levels between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago. Oral history and creation stories from

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5964-497: The electoral franchise . The following year, the Imperial Parliament granted Victoria responsible government with the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Some of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion went on to become members of the Victorian Parliament. In 1857, reflecting the growing presence of Irish Catholic immigrants, John O'Shanassy became the colony's second Premier with the former Young Irelander , Charles Gavan Duffy as his deputy. Melbourne's Protestant establishment

6106-449: The pink heath (state flower), Leadbeater's possum (state animal) and the helmeted honeyeater (state bird). Ecological communities include Victorian Volcanic Plain grasslands , Northern Plains Grassland and Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland , all of which are critically endangered. According to Geoscience Australia , the geographic centre of Victoria is located in Mandurang at 36° 51' 15"S, 144° 16' 52" E. The small rural locality

6248-491: The population growth peak of 1969–72. In 2017, Victoria recorded a TFR of 1.724. The "average Victorian" according to the demographic statistics may be described as follows: In the year ending September 2020, the statistics were skewed by the introduction of six new public safety offences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia . Total offences numbered 551,710, with 32,713 of these being breaches of Chief Health Officer Directions. The total offences occurred at

6390-444: The 1850s and 1860s significantly increased Victoria's population and wealth. By the time of Australian Federation in 1901, Melbourne had become the largest city in Australasia , and was the seat of Federal government until Canberra became the national capital in 1927. The state continued to grow strongly through various periods of the 20th and 21st centuries due to high levels of international and interstate migration. Melbourne hosts

6532-410: The 2016 census, 72.2% of Victorians speak English at home. Speakers of other languages include Mandarin (3.2%), Italian (1.9%), Greek (1.9%), Vietnamese (1.7%), and Arabic (1.3%). In the 2016 Census, 47.9% of Victorians described themselves as Christian , 10.6% stated that they followed other religions and 32.1% stated that they had no religion or held secular or other spiritual beliefs. In

6674-440: The 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: 0.8% of the population, or 47,788 people, identified as Indigenous Australians ( Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders ) in 2016. At the 2016 census, 64.9% of residents were born in Australia. The other most common countries of birth were England (2.9%), India (2.9%), Mainland China (2.7%), New Zealand (1.6%) and Vietnam (1.4%). As of

6816-410: The 5th inst. a definite assurance that no further trains will be seized, and that those detailed will be restored, I will order the complete suspension of the railway service between Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta without further delay. I regret having to resort to drastic procedure, but owing to the failure of your Government to extend the courtesy of prior notification to this Government and before action

6958-400: The British Embassy in Rome, through which he secured a private meeting between Colebatch and Benito Mussolini at Chigi Palace . His tour around Italy led Colebatch to form his anti-fascist political beliefs. Upon returning to Australia in 1927, Collier asked Colebatch to create a book on the history of Western Australia to commemorate the state's centenary in 1929. Although Colebatch was

7100-402: The King), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The Parliament of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly , the upper house Legislative Council and the monarch . Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates. In November 2006, the Victorian Legislative Council elections were held under

7242-405: The Legislative Assembly did not, meaning the bill was unable to pass. Matthew Moss , the unofficial leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council, retired at the 1914 election, enabling Colebatch to take the position. During 1914, Colebatch lead the opposition to the Income Tax (War Emergency) Bill, which was to raise taxes mainly to support farmers during the drought which was occurring at

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7384-429: The Legislative Assembly following several resignations and the Country Party had drifted closer to the Liberal Party compared to when they were initially elected to parliament in 1914. The Liberal Party's Frank Wilson became premier, and although he had only been in parliament for four years, Colebatch was an obvious choice to join the ministry and lead the government in the Legislative Council. By this time, Colebatch

7526-409: The London money market was depressed, and secondly, because much loan money was being sent to Germany instead due to the high interest rates there. When the Group Settlement Scheme seemed to be failing, Colebatch persuaded Collier to travel to London to negotiate a new migration deal. Collier dislike travelling, but he went to London anyway and a new deal was signed. Colebatch's term as agent-general

7668-406: The November 1912 Northam municipal election and was succeeded as mayor by Bernard. Colebatch was part of the newly-formed Liberal Party , however in his maiden speech , he said he would always speak for his individual feelings. At the time, John Scaddan had been premier for a year and the Labor Party had a substantial majority in the Legislative Assembly, however the Legislative Council had

7810-518: The Scaddan government's harshest critic in the Legislative Council and Labor members grew to dread his speeches. The Scaddan government felt that establishing and expanding government enterprises was in the best interests of the state, something that Colebatch was strongly opposed to. The government set out to establish state-run and state-subsidised brickworks, sawmills, quarries, hotels, dairies, ferries, butcher shops, fish shops, brick works, tramways, meat works, quarries and abattoirs. Colebatch lead

7952-411: The Spanish flu broke out in South Australia and Victoria , however these states refused to follow the agreement and did not declare an infected area. Despite this, Colebatch decided to close the Western Australian border. Coincidentally, a shipping strike meant that there was no coastal shipping in the state, but transcontinental trains were still running when he decided to close the border. Passengers on

8094-434: The Western Australian Bowling Association. He became a well-known figure within Northam, becoming a justice of the peace in 1906, a member of the District Board of Education, the local fire brigades board and the state fire brigades board. In November 1909, he was elected unopposed as the mayor of Northam after being nominated by the retiring mayor, Oscar Bernard. Colebatch oversaw the sealing of Northam's roads for

8236-531: The Western Australian point of view — could be examined line for line [today] and proved to be an absolutely accurate forecast of what has happened to the State under federation." Sanderson was not ideologically opposed to federation but was against the terms with which Western Australia was going to enter, saying that "no words in a written constitution could protect a small state in a federation against larger and more powerful ones making policies against its interest." Western Australia ended up voting for federation in

8378-433: The Wilson government only got underway in November 1916. The government passed the Trading Concerns Act, which put all trading concerns on a commercial basis as well as preventing the establishment of trading concerns without the approval of parliament, preventing the government from using its executive power to do so like the Scaddan government often did. The State Fish Supplies, which was one of Colebatch's responsibilities,

8520-414: The bill. The Industrial Arbitration Act consolidated previous legislation and made it easier for unions to approach the Court of Arbitration . Colebatch opposed the bill for preferencing unionists and hampering the ability of industries to compete with overseas firms. Eventually the two sides met and worked out a compromise which the government and the opposition could both support. One bill that Colebatch

8662-406: The book's editor, he wrote almost all of it himself, and was not paid. The book, titled A Story of A Hundred Years: Western Australia 1829–1929 , was published in 1929. Victoria (Australia) Victoria , commonly abbreviated as Vic , is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania ), with a land area of 227,444 km (87,817 sq mi);

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8804-414: The brigs Dragon and Amity , took a number of convicts and a small force composed of detachments of the 3rd and 93rd regiments. The expedition landed at Settlement Point (now Corinella ), on the eastern side of Western Port Bay, which was the headquarters until the abandonment of Western Port at the insistence of Governor Darling about 12 months afterwards. Victoria's next settlement was at Portland , on

8946-428: The centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 15 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970. Temperature extremes for the state are listed in the table below: Rainfall in Victoria increases from south to

9088-430: The colonial secretary had to introduce many bills and answer many questions in parliament, it was not a role that allowed for high achievement to shine. On the other hand, the role of education minister allowed for this, and Colebatch found this to be his favourite portfolio. He later claimed that he was appointed education minister due to his advocacy for country high schools when Wilson was previously premier. Parliament

9230-578: The colony was established in 1851. After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Australia was divided into an eastern half named New South Wales and a western half named New Holland , under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney. The first British settlement in the area later known as Victoria was established in October 1803 under Lieutenant-Governor David Collins at Sullivan Bay on Port Phillip. It consisted of 402 people (five government officials, nine officers of marines, two drummers, and 39 privates, five soldiers' wives and

9372-423: The country's first federal capital. Victoria's northern border follows a straight line from Cape Howe to the start of the Murray River and then follows the Murray River as the remainder of the northern border. On the Murray River, the border is the southern bank of the river. This precise definition was not established until 1980, when a ruling by Justice Ninian Stephen of the High Court of Australia settled

9514-428: The death of George Throssell . Colebatch came second out of the three candidates, being beat by the more well known Warren Marwick . He then received a petition from 72 electors to run again, so he contested the newly-created seat of Avon in the 1911 state election . He was narrowly defeated by Thomas Bath from the Labor Party. In early 1912, Colebatch and Mitchell formed a Liberal League in Northam. Colebatch

9656-414: The deck of his launch." When the boats reached the wharf, a riot broke out between the union workers and the police, who were trying to push the crowd back from the ship. During this, a man named Thomas Edwards was injured and later died. The police commissioner told Colebatch that the police could not control the situation without shooting their guns, but Colebatch did not want to authorise that. Colebatch,

9798-422: The deputy premier and leader of the government in the Legislative Council again. Mitchell did not like travelling interstate for meetings with the prime minister and other premiers, so he often had Colebatch represent him instead. Colebatch attended a meeting with Prime Minister Billy Hughes and the other premiers in October 1919. Hughes wanted to enlarge the powers of the Commonwealth Government, which Colebatch

9940-458: The east coast of the Australian continent for the Kingdom of Great Britain . The first European settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at Sullivan Bay . Much of Victoria was included in 1836 in the Port Phillip District of New South Wales. Named in honour of Queen Victoria , Victoria was separated from New South Wales and established as a separate Crown colony in 1851, achieving responsible government in 1855. The Victorian gold rush in

10082-405: The first high schools outside Perth and the Goldfields had been the issue which had impelled him to enter politics. In 1918, Nationalist member John Stewart resigned from the seat of Claremont in the Legislative Assembly. It was offered to Colebatch that he resign from the Legislative Council to contest the resulting by-election so that he could one day become premier, however Colebatch decline

10224-467: The first time as well as the development of the Avon River with weirs and embankments to enhance the surroundings and prevent flooding, an initiative started by Bernard. Colebatch managed to secure several large grants from the state government for these works. He first ran for parliament in 1910, contesting the East Province of the Legislative Council in a by-election on 26 September resulting from

10366-487: The inland monthly temperatures are 2–7 °C (4–13 °F) warmer than around Melbourne (see chart). Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave . The Victorian Alps in the northeast are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east–west through

10508-491: The journalism, allowing the newspaper to prosper. By this point, he had two sons: Harley and Gordon Lindsay, and was looking for a more settled life. He lived in Northam for years to come. In Northam, Colebatch became friends with local bank branch manager and future premier James Mitchell . Impressed by Mitchell, Colebatch encouraged Mitchell to stand for state parliament and he became Mitchell's campaign manager. Mitchell won

10650-619: The late 1890s, the federation of Australia had become a major political issue. The Morning Herald , which by this time Colebatch had become assistant leader-writer under Archibald Sanderson , campaigned against federation. Colebatch was inspired by Sanderson's anti-federation arguments and became anti-federation himself, unusual for someone from eastern Australia. Writing for the Royal Western Australian Historical Society 's Early Days journal in 1951, Colebatch said that "Sanderson's anti-federal articles — from

10792-457: The latter half of 1892 and was summoned as a Crown witness in the prosecution of strike leaders. Although he was opposed to the strike leaders' actions, he knew them well and did not want them to go to jail. Several of the leaders were convicted, and Colebatch wrote that "I like to think that my notes were instrumental in securing either acquittal or light sentences for the lesser offenders ... I am glad to say Dick Sleath bore me no animosity for

10934-610: The majority voted against conscription. Meanwhile, both of Colebatch's sons enlisted in the army and in 1917, they went to fight in France in World War I . Gordon was severely injured by a shell blast and suffered the effects of this for the rest of his life. To help raise funds for soldiers and dependents in need, Colebatch was the chairman of the Western Australian War Patriotic Fund. The parliamentary session under

11076-614: The ministry. The 1917 state election occurred soon after the Lefroy Ministry was appointed, and after that, parliament only resumed for a week before it was adjourned for the 1917 Australian conscription referendum campaign. By 1917, Colebatch had established district high schools in Northam and Geraldton . He had also established scholarships to enable children from outside areas to attend them. Two more district high schools were created in Bunbury and Albany that year. Establishing

11218-537: The most important bills passed in this session of parliament were the Workers' Compensation Act and the Industrial Arbitration Act. Workers' Compensation previously only applied to certain occupations, but the new act extended it to apply to all workers earning less than £300 per annum. Although he did not vote against it, Colebatch criticised the bill for hurting employers and was successful in limiting parts of

11360-581: The next Agent-General for Western Australia in London . He resigned from the ministry and from parliament on 17 June 1923, and was succeeded by William Carroll . Over the seven years he had been a minister, the state's expenditure on education had risen by 73%. To show their admiration, senior Education Department officials arranged a special function for Colebatch's departure. He had given equal share in The Northam Advertiser to his wife and two sons as

11502-575: The north of the state. This would have increased the number of metropolitan districts at the expense of rural districts. Colebatch opposed having equally-populated constituencies, saying that "it seems to be utterly unfair that huge districts with great interests and scattered population should be put in the same position as closely congested and settled communities". He proposed seven amendments, including that rural districts should have 20 percent fewer voters and metropolitan districts should have more voters. The Legislative Council accepted these amendments but

11644-564: The northeast, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Mean annual rainfall exceeds 1,800 millimetres (71 inches) in some parts of the northeast but is less than 280 mm (11 in) in the Mallee. Rain is heaviest in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous northeast. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter, but summer precipitation

11786-728: The offer as he did not want to undermine confidence in the Lefroy Government. By late 1918, the Spanish flu had become a pandemic, and returning soldiers aboard the HMAT Boonah were falling sick. As the Colonial Secretary, Colebatch was responsible for public health. With the ship approaching Fremantle, Colebatch set up an emergency isolation camp on Garden Island to supplement the existing quarantine facility at Woodman Point . He also considered using Rottnest Island if need be, but it

11928-571: The offer, and moved to Western Australia. He would later be elected to the Western Australian Parliament as a Labor member and become premier in 1945. In Calcutta , he developed a carbuncle which he had an operation for. His doctor told him he was days away from death before the operation. Two days after it, he was diagnosed with diabetes. He had to stay in Calcutta for several weeks while he recovered. Soon after he arrived in London,

12070-544: The only premier to come from the Legislative Council. Colebatch made himself Colonial Treasurer , the minister for education and the minister for railways . He reinstated Mitchell in the cabinet, making him the minister for lands . The largest issue during his premiership was the 1919 Fremantle Wharf riot . Stevedores from two different unions — the National Waterside Workers Union (NWWU) and

12212-527: The opposition to the Tramways Purchase Bill 1912, which sought to nationalise trams in Perth . He felt that the Perth City Council was being cheated out of their reversionary rights to the tramways and that the government would be a poor operator like they were with the railways. The bill was passed anyway, but it earned Colebatch a reputation as a "hard fighter and a brilliant speaker". Two of

12354-715: The other passengers on board being infected. As a result, several hundred of the 1,200 people aboard the ship were quarantined at Woodman Point. Colebatch denounced the federal government's handling of the matter, as despite it being responsible for shipping and quarantine under the Australian constitution , it did very little. The state and federal governments agreed that any state with a Spanish flu outbreak should be declared an infected area, which would stop all land communication and sea communication would be quarantined. Following Parliament's recess for Christmas 1918, Lefroy and two cabinet ministers attended conferences in Melbourne , leaving Colebatch as acting premier. During that time,

12496-502: The part I had played in securing his conviction." Meanwhile, Colebatch had developed a hobby in chess , becoming the Broken Hill chess champion. Gold was discovered at Coolgardie, Western Australia , in 1892 and at the nearby town of Kalgoorlie the following year. This triggered a gold rush in the colony of Western Australia , which had been an economic backwater up until that point. Meanwhile, waning demand for silver combined with

12638-462: The passengers and most of the crew went into quarantine, but the federal government allowed some of the crew to berth the ship before going into quarantine. Fremantle Harbour officials did not allow the ship to berth and forced it to be fumigated at anchor. The NWWU workers then began to unload the ship but the FLU workers attacked them and started picketing , wanting to remove all NWWU workers from working at

12780-574: The people on the boats were Colebatch, the commissioner of police , small businessmen and consignees desperate to get the Dimboola unloaded. As the boats travelled under a bridge, the FLU members dropped rocks, scrap iron and other objects onto the boats in an attempt to sink them. The larger objects missed the boats, but several people were injured by smaller objects. University of New South Wales Professor of History Francis Keble Crowley said that "the premier came close to being assassinated when masonry hit

12922-428: The police commissioner, the businessmen and consignees soon left, unsuccessful. In total, approximately 26 police officers and six FLU workers were injured, excluding Edwards. The following day, there was further violence between police and union members. Colebatch announced on 8 May 1919 that the NWWU had agreed to withdraw from the wharf to avoid any further conflict. Colebatch resigned as premier on 15 May 1919 as he

13064-575: The previous committee fell apart. Despite this, Colebatch had reservations about the exhibition, thinking it should have involved more than just the British Empire . He supported Australian High Commissioner Joseph Cook when he opposed the country subsidizing the following year's event. Colebatch became a member of the Savage Club when one of the committee members nominated him. He found difficulty in raising loans for Western Australia, firstly, because

13206-683: The prime minister the Group Settlement Scheme and the Fairbridge Farm School . Colebatch managed to help convince Hughes of the need for an increase in immigration to increase the state's population and develop its infrastructure, an interest of Mitchell's. Hughes wrote a letter to Colebatch in March 1922 committing to increasing immigration, and later an agreement was signed between the Australian, Western Australian and British governments for seventy-five thousand British migrants to settle in

13348-461: The proposed route for the transcontinental railway line . The most likely route was to be via Midland and Northam, where there was already a line, but there was an alternative proposal via Armadale and Brookton , which is also in the East Province. Marwick chose to support the Armadale-Brookton route, which resulted in his unpopularity within Northam. A public meeting in Northam decided that

13490-603: The question as to which state had jurisdiction in the unlawful death of a man on an island in the middle of the river. The ruling clarified that no part of the watercourse is in Victoria. The border also rests at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range , which stretches along the east coast and terminates west of Ballarat. It is bordered by South Australia to the west and shares Australia's shortest land border with Tasmania . The official border between Victoria and Tasmania

13632-476: The ranks of government, becoming a minister in 1906 and obtaining the important portfolios of lands and agriculture in 1909. During this time, Colebatch was seen as Mitchell's éminence grise . Colebatch founded the Northam Bowling Club and also took a part in creating a bowling club in the nearby town of York . In 1905, he won the state championship in bowls pairs and became the vice-president of

13774-481: The representative of the monarch in the state, is currently Margaret Gardner . Victoria is divided into 79 local government areas , as well as several unincorporated areas which the state administers directly. The state of Victoria was home to many Aboriginal Australian nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years before European settlement . According to Gary Presland , Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria for about 40,000 years, living

13916-412: The second-most-populated state (after New South Wales ), with a population of over 6.9 million; and the most densely populated state in Australia (30.6 per km ). Victoria's economy is the second-largest among Australian states and is highly diversified, with service sectors predominating. Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west and is bounded by

14058-683: The short-lived Colebatch Ministry on 17 April 1919. The following ministers served for the duration of the Ministry: Premier Minister for Lands Minister for Agriculture Colonial Treasurer (from 2 April 1919) Colonial Treasurer Colonial Secretary Minister for Education Minister for Works Minister for Water Supply Attorney-General Minister for Woods and Forests Minister for Industries Minister for Mines Minister for Railways Legend: Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch CMG (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953)

14200-606: The south west coast of what is now Victoria. Edward Henty settled Portland Bay in 1834. Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman , who set up a base in Indented Head , and John Pascoe Fawkner . From settlement, the region around Melbourne was known as the Port Phillip District, a separately administered part of New South Wales. Shortly after, the site now known as Geelong was surveyed by Assistant Surveyor W. H. Smythe, three weeks after Melbourne. And in 1838, Geelong

14342-659: The state's south. The greater Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 5,207,145 people. Urban centres outside Melbourne include Geelong , Ballarat , Bendigo , Shepparton , Mildura , Warrnambool , Wodonga and the Latrobe Valley . Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state: nearly 90% of residents living in cities and towns. State Government efforts to decentralise population have included an official campaign run since 2003 to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas, however Melbourne continues to rapidly outpace these areas in terms of population growth. At

14484-486: The state. In April 1919, Lefroy resigned as premier and Colebatch took over, making him the only premier to come from the Legislative Council rather than the Legislative Assembly. The major event during his premiership was the 1919 Fremantle Wharf riot , in which two unions were fighting with each other. Colebatch resigned as premier one month after taking the job and was succeeded by Mitchell. Colebatch served as

14626-456: The state. Reducing unemployment was one of Colebatch's other responsibilities, and he instituted various public works to help with that. Although some saw trying to increase immigration as working against efforts to decrease unemployment, Colebatch believed it would be short-sighted to not do so. In addition to showing Hughes around Western Australia, Colebatch did the same for several other figures. In 1922, he guided Colonel S. F. Newcombe , who

14768-611: The statue to depict him as a "slim young explorer", but Colebatch convinced her that a statue depicting him as a "mature and portly statesman" would be best. From 1921 to 1922, Colebatch was the president of the West Australian Club . He was also a life member of the Royal Perth Yacht Club . Following the 1921 state election , Colebatch was the only minister in the Legislative Council. He was therefore responsible for introducing and handling all bills and other business of

14910-420: The story along, and he had Colebatch banned from the parliamentary press gallery. Colebatch was dragged out by the sergeant-at-arms on 19 October 1898, and the following day, Colebatch sent a letter that he intended to sue the sergeant-at-arms for assault. After heavy media criticism, the ban was lifted and the police inspector was demoted and transferred. Colebatch became the state chess champion in 1898. By

15052-476: The story had been exaggerated and that it was merely a verbal disagreement. The telegraph office was closed by that time, and so the Kalgoorlie Miner on 23 September 1898 had printed the details of the supposed fist fight on its front page. Forrest was furious, and he attempted to have the publishers prosecuted for published libel. After that failed, Forrest discovered that Colebatch was the reporter who passed

15194-523: The survey, 31.7% of Victorians stated they had no religion, Roman Catholics were 23.2%, 9.4% did not answer the question, 9% were Anglican and 3.5% were Eastern Orthodox . In 2017 the proportion of couples marrying in a civil ceremony in Victoria was 77.3%; the other 22.7% were married in a religious ceremony. The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. The 2016 census revealed that Australian median age has crept upward from 35 to 37 since 2001, which reflects

15336-451: The time. Colebatch attacked the government for introducing the bill so late in the session, just before the 1914 election , without the presentation of estimates, and for only one third of the money raised going to the farmers. The bill was defeated by the Legislative Council by eighteen votes to six. The following year, Colebatch opposed the Income and Public Entertainments Taxation Bill, which

15478-556: The treaty is unknown, although it is believed to have been by the Merri Creek . According to historian Meyer Eidelson, it is generally believed to have occurred on the Merri near modern-day Rushall Station. On 1 July 1851, writs were issued for the election of the first Victorian Legislative Council, and the absolute independence of Victoria from New South Wales was established proclaiming a new Colony of Victoria. Days later, still in 1851 gold

15620-519: The two ministers could not get back to Western Australia without taking the train. Colebatch decided to allow a special train in, as long as the people aboard quarantined, but Watt disallowed this from happening. In general, Western Australians strongly supported Colebatch's actions during the Spanish flu pandemic. He earned further praise when he ended a two-month-long tramway strike. In April 1919, Lefroy resigned as premier, and Colebatch took over, becoming

15762-480: The upper house, placing a large workload on him. As there was much hinging on him, the house adjourned when he became sick. Several of his colleagues thought the burden on him was too much. In the 1923 New Year Honours , Colebatch was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George . Later that year, his title of "Honourable" was made permanent. In early 1923, Mitchell announced that he had chosen Colebatch to be

15904-571: The west and northwest. There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria. Most notable is the Murray River system. Other rivers include: Ovens River , Goulburn River , Patterson River , King River , Campaspe River , Loddon River , Wimmera River , Elgin River, Barwon River , Thomson River , Snowy River , Latrobe River , Yarra River , Maribyrnong River , Mitta River , Hopkins River , Merri River and Kiewa River . The state symbols include

16046-468: The wharf. Colebatch implored Watt to try and settle the dispute, as industrial relations were the responsibility of the federal government and the state had little power to do anything other than to use police to diffuse violence. Watt disagreed and said it was up to the state to solve the issue. He also said that if the issue was not fixed quickly, then he would stop shipping to Fremantle. His son, Hal G. P. Colebatch , posited in his 2004 biography that Watt

16188-488: The world" and the largest gold nugget . In the decade 1851–1860 Victoria produced 20 million ounces of gold, one-third of the world's output. In 1855 the Geological Survey collected and determined the major ion chemistry for groundwater in Victoria. Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from Ireland and China. By 1857, 26,000 Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy

16330-644: Was "probably trying to get revenge on Colebatch for impounding the Commonwealth train and his earlier criticism of the Commonwealth Government during the Boonah affair." On 1 May, Colebatch told the FLU that he would get the police if they did not come to an agreement or cease picketing the wharf. The union did not do this, and so on 4 May, a group of people travelled down the Swan River in two launches . Among

16472-576: Was a long-serving figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the twelfth Premier of Western Australia for a month in 1919, agent-general in London for five years, and a senator for four years. He was known for supporting free trade, federalism and Western Australian secessionism , and for opposing communism, socialism and fascism. Born in England, his family migrated to South Australia when Colebatch

16614-455: Was adjourned for seven weeks for ministerial by-elections to take place. Colebatch was subsequently elected unopposed. Soon after parliament resumed, it was adjourned again for the 1916 Australian conscription referendum campaign. Like most Liberal politicians, Colebatch supported conscription , and his rhetoric grew more and more nationalistic as the campaign went on. Western Australia ended up voting for conscription, whereas nationally,

16756-487: Was also the convenor of a finance sub-committee within the Liberal Party, which made the successful recommendation to charge a membership fee so the party would be less reliant on large donors. In March 1912, Colebatch was elected to the executive committee of the Liberal Party. Colebatch was initially not going to contest the May 1912 Legislative Council election , but Marwick had become unpopular in Northam due to his opinion on

16898-516: Was banned from the parliamentary press gallery for reporting on a supposed fistfight that had occurred between two members of parliament . A police inspector who had been in Parliament House at the time had told the story to a journalist for the Morning Herald , who then passed the story on to Colebatch who then telegraphed it to the Kalgoorlie Miner . Later that day, Colebatch discovered that

17040-525: Was born, but was by this point quite poor. Due to bad economic conditions in England, the family travelled to South Australia on the St Vincent in 1878. Although it nearly sank along the way, the ship reached Adelaide on 30 November 1878 after 91 days at sea. They settled in the coastal town of Goolwa, South Australia , where they had relatives. At age eleven, Colebatch left school as his father could not afford to continue with it. The normal leaving age

17182-491: Was briefly Premier. In 1893 widespread bank failures brought to an end a sustained period of prosperity and of increasingly wild speculation in land and construction. Melbourne nonetheless retained, as the legacy of the gold rush, its status as Australia's primary financial centre and largest city. In 1901, Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth of Australia . While Canberra was being built, Melbourne served until 1927 as

17324-515: Was declared void as Batman did not have permission from the Crown to establish Melbourne. Today, the meaning and interpretation of this treaty is contested. Some argue it was a pretence for taking Aboriginal land in exchange for trinkets, while others argue it was significant in that it sought to recognise Aboriginal land rights . The exact location of the meeting between Batman and the Kulin men with whom he made

17466-434: Was discovered near Ballarat , and subsequently at Bendigo . Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the largest gold rushes the world has ever seen. The colony grew rapidly in both population and economic power. In 10 years, the population of Victoria increased sevenfold from 76,000 to 540,000. All sorts of gold records were produced, including the "richest shallow alluvial goldfield in

17608-680: Was elected to the Legislative Council again, this time for the Metropolitan Province . He would serve there for eight years, and during this time, would frequently write in The Northam Advertiser about his view on World War II . He contested the 1948 election but failed to be elected. Colebatch died in 1953 and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery . Colebatch was born on 29 March 1872 in the village of Underley near Wolferlow in Herefordshire , England, to George Pateshall Colebatch,

17750-512: Was especially interested in was the Water Rights and Irrigation Bill. The bill was referred to a select committee that he was the chairman of and he introduced many of the amendments that the committee recommended. The amendments were not accepted by the Legislative Assembly though and the bill did not pass. The following year, the bill was introduced again, but it failed to pass again. It eventually passed in 1914. By 1913, Colebatch had gained

17892-522: Was expected to increase taxation so that money could be spent on public works to create jobs. He believed that the money would better off with private enterprise, which would be able to provide more jobs and greater benefits to the state. In July 1916, the Liberal and Country parties cooperated to pass a vote of no confidence in the Scaddan Government. Labor had been left with a minority of seats in

18034-522: Was extended by a year. In the 1927 New Year Honours , he was made a Knight Bachelor upon the recommendation of the Labor government. While Colebatch was living in London, his son Gordon was living in Italy to study singing, theatre and languages. In 1927, Colebatch and his wife travelled around Italy for several months, visiting Rome and Venice among other places. Gordon was friends with high ranking officials in

18176-713: Was four years old. He left school aged 11 and worked for several newspapers in South Australia before moving to Broken Hill in New South Wales in 1888 to work as a reporter for the Silver Age . In 1894, he moved to the Western Australian Goldfields following the gold rush there, working for the Golden Age in Coolgardie and the Kalgoorlie Miner in Kalgoorlie . Two years later, he moved to Perth to join

18318-523: Was ill-prepared "to countenance so startling a novelty". In 1858–59, Melbourne Punch cartoons linked Duffy and O'Shanassy to the terrors of the French Revolution . In 1862 Duffy's Land Act attempted, but failed, through a system of extended pastoral licences, to break the land-holding monopoly of the so-called "squatter" class . In 1871, having led, on behalf of small farmers, opposition to Premier Sir James McCulloch 's land tax , Duffy, himself,

18460-431: Was looked at by some as the state's next John Forrest, and so he was appointed Minister for Education and Colonial Secretary . Mitchell was also a member of the ministry, being appointed Minister for Railways and Minister for Water Supply . The colonial secretary was responsible for numerous miscellaneous departments, including charities, public health, aborigines, public gardens, the state shipping service. Although

18602-408: Was not ideal as it was further from the mainland than Garden Island. The mayor of Fremantle , William Montgomery, demanded that Lefroy disallow the Boonah from entering the port. However Colebatch stated that he believed that the sick soldiers were "entitled to be taken off the boat as soon as land is reached", and that allowing the ship to continue on to the eastern states would result in most of

18744-643: Was officially declared a town, despite earlier European settlements dating back to 1826. On 6 June 1835, just under two years before Melbourne was officially recognised as a settlement, John Batman, the leader of the Port Phillip Association presented Wurundjeri Elders with a land use agreement. This document, now referred to as the Batman treaty , was later given to the British government to claim that local Aboriginal people had given Batman access to their land in exchange for goods and rations. The treaty itself

18886-501: Was opposed to, as he believed local self-governance improved economic efficiency and individual freedom. Starting in May 1920, he visited the north-west of the state, a place usually neglected by the state government. When he visited Onslow , it was the first time in ten years a government minister had visited there. The visit to the north-west lasted three months and he travelled 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi). He met with Hughes again to show

19028-408: Was planned to end in November 1926, just a few months before the 1927 state election . He pointed out to Collier that he would have been expected by Coalition politicians to campaign against Labor in the election. He thought it would be distasteful to campaign against the government when they had worked together well over the previous three years. Collier agreed, and so Colebatch's term as agent-general

19170-477: Was sent by the British Government to investigate settling discharged soldiers there. He also guided V. S. Srinivasa Sastri , who was sent to ensure that Indians settled in white British countries were not discriminated against. Another task for Colebatch was to negotiate with John Forrest's widow, Margaret Forrest , over a statue of Forrest which the government wanted to erect in Kings Park . Lady Forrest wanted for

19312-500: Was shut down due to not being commercially viable. On the other hand, the State Steamship Service proved viable and was not shut down. Colebatch was opposed to large-scale gambling and lotteries, particularly those run by the government, believing them to be a tax on the poor and stupid. He introduced a bill to outlaw bookmaking in 1916, but it was not passed by parliament. A success that Colebatch had as colonial secretary

19454-486: Was taken by your Government, and the continued resistance of the authorities in your State to the operation of the Quarantine Agreement, no other course remains open. Lefroy decided that he would not stand in the way of Colebatch and further action was up to him. South Australia eventually declared infection meaning the railway would have been shut down under the agreement. Because of the shipping strike, Lefroy and

19596-543: Was taken, and Kalgoorlie overtook it to become the Goldfields' largest town. The Golden Age burnt down in September 1895, and so Colebatch moved to Kalgoorlie to work with Hocking on the Kalgoorlie Miner , a new daily newspaper. In Kalgoorlie, he met his future wife, Mary Maud Saunders, born c.  1869 in South Australia. At the start of 1896, they moved to Perth , the colony's capital city, for Colebatch to join

19738-627: Was thirteen, but Colebatch sat and passed an examination in August 1883 to allow him to leave. He got his first job as a junior reporter, printer's devil , compositor and office boy for the Norwood Free Press , a small newspaper in suburban Adelaide. He also attended evening classes in shorthand, literature and Latin at the Pirie Street Literary Institute. This ended when the Norwood Free Press collapsed, leading Colebatch to work for

19880-512: Was thus appointed to lead a delegation to the British Parliament to request secession. The delegation was unsuccessful, with a parliamentary select committee deciding that allowing Western Australia to secede would go against constitutional conventions . Colebatch continued on as agent-general until 1939, where he would make several trips to Germany to meet with anti-fascists as well as Nazi political figures. After returning to Australia, he

20022-468: Was to convert Rottnest Island from a prison to a holiday resort. The island was made an A-class reserve in 1917 and Colebatch was appointed as the first president of the Rottnest Island Board of Control. Some prisoners were retained for the first few years as cheap labour, but by 1922, the last prisoners were removed from the island. In May 1917, the Liberal Party was disbanded and turned into

20164-405: Was unable to find a Legislative Assembly seat and his health was deteriorating due to undiagnosed diabetes. On 17 May, James Mitchell was sworn in as premier and Colebatch was appointed the minister for agriculture , minister for education, minister for the north-west and the new position of minister for health , a role which he had performed before that as the colonial secretary. He was also

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