Democracy -- What were the 1850s constitutions and electoral laws? -- The ideas that formed these new Australian colonial democracies -- The Colonial leaders that fought for and opposed democracy -- Obstructive Legislative Councils (upper houses) -- New South Wales -- The 18th century colony -- Victoria -- The colony of the goldfields and Eureka stockade -- South Australia -- The democracy colony -- The British framework.
Hamilton explores in a short history how all men gained the vote, self-government and the secret ballot in South Australia (1856), Victoria (1857), and New South Wales (1858).
Australia permanently democratised without a violent revolution, and at a very early time. In 1851–1858, local parliaments in the British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia gave all men the vote, including Aboriginal and Chinese men, the secret ballot, and self-government of local affairs. Britain approved, this book examines the parliamentary debate which led to these radical democracies. Debates covered voting eligibility, the secret ballot, the upper house of parliament, equal electorates, multiple voting, illiterate voters, control of Crown lands, terms of parliament, payment of members, and separation of Church and State. British parliamentary tradition was combined with the advanced liberal thinking of the time, Chartism with the British constitution. The democratisation of 1851–1858 in the three largest Australian colonies was as fundamental to Australian prosperity as the 'mixed' market economy.
This is a vital text for scholars of democracy as well as those interested in Australian Studies, Australian History, Political Science, Constitutional Law, and the building blocks of first-world prosperity.
ResumenEl salario mínimo ha sido una cuestión controvertida desde que se in‐trodujo en la legislación de Australia, los Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido a principios del siglo XX. Los defensores del salario mínimo justifican la intervención estatal basándose en principios de equidad y bien social, mientras que sus detractores se amparan en la teoría del mercado. En este artículo se examina la influencia de estas dos posiciones ideológicas en la fijación de los salarios, y los consiguientes resultados de una y otra. El objetivo es colmar la falta de estudios comparativos sobre los orígenes, la evolución y los actuales sistemas de reglamentación del salario mínimo en los tres países.
RésuméDepuis l'adoption par l'Australie, le Royaume‐Uni et les États‐Unis de leurs premières dispositions sur le salaire minimum, au début du XXe siècle, la question fait débat. Certains rejettent cette intervention étatique, jugée contraire aux principes de l'économie de marché, d'autres la défendent, au nom de l'équité et du bien commun. Les auteurs s'interrogent sur l'influence de ces deux positions idéologiques sur la fixation des salaires dans les trois pays à l'examen. Ils comblent ainsi une lacune de la littérature, qui propose peu d'études comparatives sur la formation, l'évolution et les caractéristiques actuelles des systèmes visant à instaurer des salaires minima dans ces pays.
Since the first minimum wage legislation was introduced in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 1900s, minimum wage regulation has attracted controversy. Opponents of minimum wages use market theory to defend their position, while supporters justify state intervention based on principles of equity and social good. This article examines how these two ideological positions have influenced the fixing of wages, and the ensuing results. As little comparative research exists on the origins, evolution and current systems of minimum wage regulation in the three countries, this article aims to address the gap in the literature.
