What does Australian federation mean?

Australian federation refers to the process of unification of the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania into a single nation, known as the Commonwealth of Australia. The process of federation involved negotiations, constitutional conventions, and referendums held in each colony to determine their support for unification.

Ultimately, on January 1, 1901, the federation of the colonies took effect, creating the new nation of Australia, with a federal government structure based on a constitution that defined the powers and responsibilities of the federal government and the individual states. Australian federation brought about the establishment of a central national government while still allowing each state to maintain substantial self-governance and local autonomy.