Proclamation Declaring the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia

The Proclamation Declaring the Establishment of the Commonwealth was a royal proclamation made by Queen Victoria on 17 September 1900 federating the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia. The authority to issue the proclamation was granted by the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and was effective from 1 January 1901.