Heads of Australia

Name - Republic of Australia (English)

Continent - Oceania

Capital - Neramnew [Melbourne]

Head of state and government - Chief Superintendent Charles Kirchner

Legislature - Parliament - Council of the Republic (upper), House of Delegates (lower)

Speaker of the House of Delegates - Martin Strong

Speaker of the Council of the Republic - Eugenie Townsend

Judiciary - Supreme Court of Judicature

Justice Minister - Horatio Beaumont

Form of government - Federal republic under a democratic presidential constitution

Form of law - Brougham Code

Area - 5,302,304 km^2

Largest city

-Neramnew - 2,431,000 (city), 4,709,000 (metro)

-Sydney - 1,569,000 (city), 2,932,000 (metro)

-Bentham [Adelaide]- 1,093,000 (city), 1,239,000 (metro)

Time zone - TMP+09:30

Currency - Australian dollar

Language - English

Population - 17,432,000

Density - 3.29 /km^2

National festival - Independence Day (January 6) - commemorating the Declaration of Independence (1936)

Anthem - Waltzing Christina

Motto - Advance Australia

-Chief Superintendent

-popularly elected, terms of six years

-also has a vote in the House of Delegates

-House of Delegates

-constituencies technically exist

-but people may write in any candidate in any constituency

-each delegate has a vote equal to as many people voted for them

-additionally, Chief Superintendent and losing candidates have vote in the House of Delegates

-equal to the number of people who voted for them

-Council of the Republic

-each province sends a delegation

-can only delay enactment of laws, and has zero power over financial acts

-New Selgovia [Central Queensland]

-New Alba [remainder of Queensland]

-Cochrane [Northern Territory]

-Whitbread [Princeland]

-Desert Territory [Outback]

-OTL Northern Queensland

-settled a lot by Kanaka people

-impressed to be sent within plantations

-a lot from New Guinea and New Caledonia

-borderline slavery a real scandal within British Empire

-by today has a Kanaka majority

-speaking Pidgin most prominently

-OTL New England

-divided off from New Erin after unification

-having served as its own discrete region

-OTL South Australia

-settled in 1834 by new revolutionary order

-in attempt to make colonialism work

-becomes a self-governing colony in 1837 soon after settlement

-in 1840 becomes one of two first Superintendencies

-OTL Victoria

-in 1839 gold rush turns it almost overnight into a major settlement

-in 1840 overthrows government and forces it to recognize a new expanded colony

-very much the center of Australia's economy

-OTL New South Wales

-populated to the brim with convicts fleeing the War of the French Revolution (1792-1804) > Great Irish Rebellion (1796-9)

-heavily militarized ports

-conspiracies emerge

-with British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) there's a revolution

-New South Wales breaks away and becomes independent "New Erin"

-as name implies, dominated by Irish people

-after economic issues unites with rest of Australia

-OTL Tasmania

-OTL South Island, New Zealand

-colonized after Otago Gold Rush, starting in 1861

-by today a backwater

-Spanish fear the prison colony will be used to create an army of "barbarians" to invade Argentina

-fears result in Spanish fleet destroying Sydney

-inland Parramatta not but Bidjigal warriors led by Pemulwuy use opportunity to destroy it

-almost entire colonial population destroyed

-in 1800 colony refounded, filled with Irish prisoners from War of the French Revolution (1792-1804) > Great Irish Rebellion (1796-9)

-in years since, New South Wales grows into a very Irish colony

-a sort of divide between "Sterling" British elite and "Currency" native-born emerges

-as well as a fair amount of resentment

-Irish-dominated conspiracies grow

-in particular one led by "Society of Currency Lads and Lasses"

-with British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) resentment turns into riot led by Currency Lads

-government overthrown and Currency elite overthrown

-new government formed under United Irishmen model

-headed by Heads of Australia > 1828-1841 John Dwyer (Society of Currency Lads and Lasses)

-named New Erin, after poetic name for Ireland

-new British government being Whiggish to Radical, consisting of people who think American Revolution was good, recognizes New Erinnach independence

-British benevolent society seeks to establish an egalitarian society of free people

-decides to do this in South Australia

-new colony named Felicitania

-in 1837 new colony has responsible government established

-discovery of gold in Neramnew results in massive wave of settlement

-becomes international phenomenon

-sees immigrants as far afield as China

-resulting gold rush sees Australia suddenly put to the surface

-and Neramnew, area around it, becomes most populous part of Australia in an instant

-with Felicitanian government having virtually no authority in Neramnew it organizes its own Vigilance Committee

-with Felicitania unwilling to recognize this it sends mob to Bentham

-mob successfully overthrows it

-new charter establishes Felicitania and Foxland as provinces

-each having their own assembly

-and elected Superintendent heading government

-gold discovered in New Munster, specifically at Otago

-with a lot of Australians remembering the Neramnew gold rush this causes a massive wave of settlement

-causes a war in New Munster

-culminating with expulsion of remaining Maori in northern tip of island

-New Erin slowly sees a crisis with the rise of Neramnew as center of Australian economy

-though it does well as free port with Liberty and Union War (1868-76) American ships now absent and that now hurts its revenue

-and conclusion of Buenaventura's Wars > Buenaventuran War of Independence (1864-7) sees New Erinnach emigration

-additionally New Erin having a free immigration policy means it has pretty large Chinese minority

-this becomes political crisis and infighting comes over whether should unite with British Australia

-in 1871 Unionists come to power

-successfully negotiate union with it

-massive period of infrastructure building in years that preceded 1911

-constructed railroads, bridges, canals, and new cities in Maoriland

-however these are among bad investments pursued by Barings Bank

-when Recessions > Panic of 1911 Australia's loans suddenly called on by banks' bankruptcy tables

-government of Heads of British Isles > 1907-1915 Jesse Boot (Radical) is willing to put pause on payments till situation gets better

-unpopular situation in British Isles as pause on Australian payments worsens economic situation

-causes deflation notably which worsens economic recovery

-with rise of Heads of British Isles > 1915-1921 Lufton Spencer (Moderate & Free Trade - "Moderate") British government suddenly forces Australia into a default

-Solvency Commission imposed on Australia, taxes and co-owned businesses sold off to British financiers

-to support Solvency Commission emergence of Heads of Australia > 1915-1934 Robert Abernathy (Moderate, then Constitutionalist)

-with Moderates and Radicals of Australia in coalition

-unpopularity sees emergence of Society of Currency Lads and Lasses, to overthrow Solvency Commission rule

-named after org which overthrew NSW government in 1828

-long period of stagnation, virtually no economic growth since 1911

-thanks to money being instead sent to British to pay off loans

-attempt by Currency Lads to overthrown government

-defeated by army which does not mutiny

-McDonnell forced into exile in New Holland and Currency Lads

-with British financial situation having turned better the British willing to forgive debt

-especially with Currency Lads

-causes period of popularity for the government

-however, government popularity fails to go up

-economy still fairly stagnant because Abernathy government pursuing balanced budgets

-elections fradulent affairs with mass boycotts

-because Society and independents associated with it banned from competing

-illicit Society marches on government again and successfully overthrows government

-invites McDonnell to become premier of Australia

-comes after Currency Lads' reorganization of the state

-Constitutional Convention establishes a state with a much more powerful executive

-first Chief Superintendent is Heads of Australia > 1936-1956 Francis F. McDonnell (Currency Lad) †

-Sydney torched by Spanish in 1798

-refounded soon afterwards, with Irish prisoners deported there

-in following decades, other political prisoners deported there

-well-educated population, there are a few rebellions and escapees

-following British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) in British Isles, prisoner transportation put to an end

-and general amnesty of most political prisoners, and those that aren't are put into new Panopticons

-many return to Ireland

-soon afterwards Felicitania [South Australia] which originally stretches to [Victoria] established as province to relieve pauperism

-in practice a lot of the paupers are Irish, which only makes Australia more of a solidly "Southern Ireland"

-with a lot of Scots entering in too

-with New South Wales reformed so that it's a series of provinces, renamed "Australia", and expanded

-with people on the ground seeking to get Felicitania settled, gold rush news in 1839 provoked near originally smallish settlement of Foxton

-causes global gold rush, makes Australia global immigration destination

-and makes Foxton biggest city in Australia

-Chinese migration happens big time

-attempts at exclusion harder here because provincial councils simply do not have that power

-a lot of people later go on to California to the Gold Rush there

-sees rising infrastructure boom, growth in 1800s with continued gold rushes

-cut short by Recessions > Panic of 1911

-results in Australia defaulting on its debt

-results in extreme financial chaos

-sees British government essentially impose conditions on Australia

-as part of repayment plan

-disastrous two decades with high inflation and unemployment

-paramilitary groups emerge against British government and there's a putsch which fails

-but eventually breaks out of the whole with weird centrist government coming out of the hole

-but its large margins gradually unravelled

-in late 1920s centrist order collapses

-results in period of chronic political instability

-in 1930s this culminates in rise of a sort of Australian nationalist party

-culminating in declaration of independence

-sees formation of new order with a Chief Superintendent with super-vote

-having already been implemented in provinces

-and deemed important to ensure stability