For Australia, the Commonwealth provides a means to strengthen democracy and development outcomes in our near region as well as in Commonwealth countries further afield.
Commonwealth member countries benefit from being part of a mutually supportive community of independent and sovereign states, aided by more than 80 Commonwealth organisations. The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, supports Commonwealth member countries to achieve development, democracy and peace.
boost trade and the economy. support democracy, government and the rule of law. develop society and young people, including gender equality, education, health and sport. support small states, helping them tackle the particular challenges they face.
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, 1900: Original Public Record Copy (1900). The Australian Constitution does not contemplate any state or territory leaving Australia. The only legal path to secession would be by a national referendum.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of six states and two self-governing territories. The national government is the Australian Government, also referred to as the federal government or Commonwealth government.
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901, when the British Parliament passed legislation enabling the six Australian colonies to collectively govern in their own right as the Commonwealth of Australia. It was a remarkable political accomplishment that had taken many years and several referenda to achieve.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. The origins of the Commonwealth come from Britain's former Empire.
It was first applied to Fiji during the 1987 Fijian coups d'état which resulted in its democratic institutions being overthrown. Pakistan has been suspended twice, Fiji three times, and Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth.
Australia and the Commonwealth
It is in the top four-largest contributors to the Commonwealth budget.
Ireland and Zimbabwe are the only republic states to have withdrawn from the Commonwealth entirely. In 1948 and 2003 respectively. Here is a list of Commonwealth republics and the year they first joined the Commonwealth: Bangladesh (1972)
Tolerance, respect and understanding Read more
We accept that diversity and understanding the richness of our multiple identities are fundamental to the Commonwealth's principles and approach.
As membership is purely voluntary, member governments can choose at any time to leave the Commonwealth. The first state to do so was Ireland in 1948 following its decision to declare itself a republic.
The contributions to the Commonwealth Secretariat are determined according to each country's ability to pay. The payments included $689,000 to the Commonwealth Secretariat and $191,000 to the Commonwealth Foundation.
When residing in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth citizens are generally exempt from registering with local police, may be employed in non-reserved Civil Service posts, and are eligible to enlist in the British Armed Forces.
After many years of debate and drafting, it was passed by the British Parliament, and given royal assent (approval by the Queen), in July 1900. The passing of the Constitution enabled Australia's 6 British colonies to become one nation, the Commonwealth of Australia, on 1 January 1901.
A Commonwealth of Republics
Ireland left never to return and Zimbabwe left and is now seeking to re-join. Other countries looking to join the commonwealth include South Sudan, Suriname, Burundi and the as-yet-unrecognized Somaliland. The combined population of the Commonwealth's member states is 2.4bn.
As China was never a part of the British Colonization thus it is not a Commonwealth of Nations.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1987, after a race-based military coup that overthrew the country's first democratically-elected government led by an ethnic Indian. The island nation was re-admitted to the Commonwealth 10 years later after democracy was restored.
Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter. The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth.
What does the Commonwealth do? The Commonwealth works on behalf of member countries to promote peace and prosperity. This includes helping countries with small business development, legislation, election monitoring, and human rights, particularly promoting the role and rights of young people and of women.
: a nation, state, or other political unit: such as. : one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good. : one in which supreme authority is vested in the people.
The Commonwealth is a group of 54 nations that were once part of the British Empire. The US became independent from the UK in 1776, after 13 American colonies broke away and declared themselves a republic, refusing to recognise the British monarch as their head of state.
Australia, the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia's capital is Canberra, located in the southeast between the larger and more important economic and cultural centres of Sydney and Melbourne.