Federation

Abstract

Richard Chaffey Baker (1841-1911) was the first colonial born member of the South Australian House of Assembly, elected for Barossa in 1868, and for the next 40 years (with absences to manage the family pastoral and business interests) was a prominent politician. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1877 and throughout his career was a defender of the rights of the Upper House, and also of the rights of property. He became President of the Legislative Council in December 1893, a position he held at the time of publication of this pamphlet. He was a member of the Federal conventions of 1891 and 1897-98 and made a major contribution to the drafting of the constitution, arguing throughout the debates for a strong Senate - to which, appropriately, he was elected president in the first Commonwealth parliament.

He published a number of articles on federation between 1891 and 1900, including the influential Manual of reference to authorities for the use of members of the Sydney Constitutional Convention in 1891 (re-titled Manual of reference to authorities for the use of members of the Australasian National Convention in its second edition). In this pamphlet of 1897 were brought together a series of articles on aspects of federation he had contributed to the local newspapers, outlining both the perceived advantages and disadvantages, but concluding that it was preferable to other forms of union, and pursuing his particular interest in the relationship between the two houses of Parliament (which he argued should be equal in powers) and the Executive in a federal form of government, his views on which had changed since he wrote the first edition of his Manual.