Abstract
Historically, Australia’s colonial states in the 19th century were individually preoccupied with security before the act of federation shifted elements of responsibility to the Commonwealth government. For example, after early Australian pressure for Britain to colonise the island of New Guinea, the Queensland colonial government revived the issue of annexing East New Guinea in 1883. The motivation was fear of German control as well as a desire to recruit labourers from New Guinea to work on Queensland’s sugar plantations. Queensland’s push for the annexation of New Guinea is part of a long history of the state’s complex relationship with the Pacific.
Original language | English |
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Specialist publication | The Interpreter |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |