Chapter 12: The Australian Constitution

May 8th, 1900, Sydney.

Today is the last day Queen Victoria will be staying in Australia. Tomorrow morning, the fleet will set sail again for their true destination, White Island in New Zealand.

In the past few days, Queen Victoria's complexion has improved significantly due to the company of Prince Arthur and Princess Beatrice. But after the visible impact of the severe blow, the Queen's body is no longer what it used to be, even needing support to walk.

As the day of departure for the fleet draws nearer, Arthur gradually feels a sense of reluctance and pity.

Since ascending to the throne at a young age, Queen Victoria has been confined to the seemingly free position of the monarchy, experiencing the departures of many close relatives, and even until her death, reminiscing about her loved ones.

After fulfilling her wish to visit White Island this time, the reason that has been supporting Queen Victoria may vanish into thin air, and perhaps the next time Arthur sees her, it may only be on her deathbed.

Although Arthur wants to keep Queen Victoria, Her Majesty is resolute in leaving, so he can only give up.

In the center of the streets of Sydney, there is a square.

This square was originally a site for colonial government troops, and after several expansions of the city, it became a public square.

Now, this square has another glorious mission, which is to host Arthur's coronation speech.

Australia is not like those independent nations that have established themselves as republics. The time of establishment for a monarchy is generally calculated based on the monarch's coronation time.

Arthur's coronation took place on January 10, 1900, which means that the Commonwealth of Australia had already been established by then. Therefore, what Arthur had prepared was just a coronation speech.

Because a week earlier, the various colonies had already begun the process of reforming into states. So upon receiving the news that Arthur was going to deliver his coronation speech in Sydney, not only the people of New South Wales but also the residents of nearby South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland all spontaneously rushed to Sydney.

As the morning sun shone down on the earth, the birds in the trees chirped as if urging time to move forward.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

As the bell tower rang three times, announcing the arrival of eight o'clock, the crowd on the square began to stir, with everyone's gaze fixed on the high platform in the center of the square, craning their necks in anticipation as if expecting something.

Soon after, Arthur arrived at the platform escorted by a squad of guards, followed by several members of the interim cabinet, each of whom also served as the interim governor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!" Arthur stepped forward, smiling and greeting everyone.

Fortunately, at this time, the loudspeaker had already been invented, otherwise, it would have been difficult to make Arthur's voice heard by everyone on the square.

Upon hearing Arthur's greeting, the square instantly fell silent, and everyone listened carefully to their future ruler's first public speech.

"I know most of you don't know me yet, so please allow me to make a brief introduction. I am Conrod Arthur, Duke of Australia. You don't have to care where I come from, or about my background, because in the future, we all have a common identity, which is the great and noble Australian people!" Arthur said with a smile.

"Long live His Highness! Long live Australia!"

Arthur's speech clearly received the approval of most people. After hundreds of years of division, almost all Australians dreamt of living in a united and prosperous Australia.

"Now, with the arrival of Arthur, the unified goal has been achieved, and all Australians are looking forward to whether this new monarch can lead the young country to prosperity.

"Believe that everyone has heard of the constitution that was promulgated a week ago. What we need most now is to break the autonomy and segregation that the states maintained during the colonial period. Regardless of which state the people come from, they are all great Australians and should be free to live anywhere in the country without restrictions. The states can trade freely. We can sell goods to any state in Australia and also buy what we need in any state without worrying about any state policies."

The only party in Australia currently is the Labor Party, which was founded to uphold workers' interests and promote free trade in Australia.

When Arthur speaks like this, it also means that his policies are the same as the Labor Party's goals and he is indirectly attracting members of the Labor Party.

As the only party in Australia, the Labor Party, although still too immature compared to the major parties in the UK, is already a behemoth in Australia's political environment.

In future lower house elections, the Labor Party is sure to have a large number of seats. Although Arthur is not worried about the Labor Party vying for power, it is still best to have this force under control.

"Australia is a land of treasure. We have plenty of arable land and abundant mineral and resources. When this land was still a colony, both immigrants and Australians faced high taxes and exploitation. As the Duke of Australia, I do not want to see this happen. Therefore, I have decided to reduce the taxes of all Australians and let all Australians live a prosperous life first!" Arthur continued to inspire the people, and his words were equally tempting.

Australia's land cannot support many people, unless you give up per capita GDP.

According to historical colonial tax records, one third of the annual income of Australians went into the colonial government's coffers, and then was transported to Britain.

However, under Arthur's reduced taxation system, Australians only needed to pay one seventh of their annual income in taxes, which was more than a 50% reduction.

It's important to note that the tax revenue collected in Australia each year was over two million pounds, so reducing taxes by this amount was a significant amount.

Did Arthur just have too much money and a lapse of judgment? Not exactly.

Firstly, significantly reducing taxes could quickly win the hearts of Australians, which would be advantageous for Arthur in establishing a stable monarchy and implementing a series of reform plans in Australia.

Secondly, Australia is known as a country that sits on a gold mine of mineral resources, and annually generates significant foreign exchange revenue through their sale. Under these circumstances, the taxes paid by Australians are a drop in the bucket, and lowering them voluntarily could gain the goodwill of all.

For ordinary civilians, a government tax reduction is definitely a cause for celebration.

Moreover, this tax reduction was not insignificant, as it directly reduced taxes by more than half.