Chapter 18: First Meeting of the Lower House

Upon hearing the guard's words, the crowd suddenly became quiet and turned their hopeful gazes towards the guard, or rather towards the list in the guard's hand.

Seeing the scene gradually quiet down, the guard spoke, "The list I am about to announce is the names of all the members of the New South Wales Lower House. Once the list is announced, these members will officially take office for a term of two years."

"Abbott... Martin... Harris! The above 71 are the newly elected Lower House members. Later, soldiers will go to their addresses to inform them. As ordered by His Highness, the first official meeting of the Lower House is scheduled for June 10th. All elected members should attend without any special circumstances," the guard said solemnly after reading out all the names on the list.

As it was the first parliamentary session of the Lower House, Arthur had decided to personally preside over it.

This greatly increased the seriousness and solemnity of the meeting, so theoretically, members were not allowed to absent themselves without any valid reasons.

"Sir, when will the list of members of the State Council be announced?" A person who believed they had an advantage but was not elected to the Lower House asked anxiously.

Without entering the Lower House, the only way for these people who dream of entering the officialdom was to enter the State Council.

"I'm sorry, we do not know the list of the State Council. We'll have to wait for the State Council to announce it later," the guard replied apologetically, shrugging his shoulders.

Upon hearing the guard's words, those who were unsuccessful in their campaigns immediately felt disheartened and looked around enviously at those who had won.

As relatively senior officials in the Sydney Municipal Government, Harris and Martin had achieved some success in this election and both of them successfully entered the Lower House.

At this moment, the two of them were hearing their names being called from the mouths of those around them, and they looked at each other with faces full of joy.

"Hey, Harris, can you hear me? We won the election! We're now esteemed members of parliament, buddy," Martin said excitedly to Harris.

"Of course, Martin. You're right, we're now members of parliament," Harris responded with a smile, containing his enthusiasm better than Martin.

For government officials like them, winning the election and becoming members of parliament is a significant advancement in their careers.

In any country with a parliament, members of parliament are highly respected politicians with significant power, even in a country like Australia, which has a constitutional monarchy.

"Alright, gentlemen. This is the entrance to the State Parliament. If you don't have anything to do here, it's better not to gather. Mr. Members of the Lower House, don't forget the first meeting on the 10th of next month. Everyone else, just wait for the announcement from the State Parliament," the guard announced after reading the list and posted it on the bulletin board at the entrance to the State Parliament. He reminded the crowd once again and then returned to the government building.

After hearing the guard's reminder, the crowd dispersed sensibly. As the saying goes, some are happy, some are sad. Those who successfully won the election were naturally overjoyed, while those who were not mentioned in the list could only envy and resentfully watch others celebrate around them.

June 10, 1900, Sydney, National Government Building.

Since Arthur's arrival, this government building originally used by the New South Wales colonial government for office work was temporarily converted into the Australian National Government Building.

Fortunately, this building was originally planned to be large, which barely accommodated the entire country's government agencies.

This was only a temporary solution, as Arthur was sure to choose a new government building and palace. The residency of the national government and the royal family's living quarters must not be too shabby.

At 7am, the area outside the government building was crowded with a group of people dressed in formal attire and looking serious. They were not government officials or onlookers, but the newly elected members of the Australian House of Representatives, who knew that this day was very important for them.

Everyone remained serious and solemn, even though they usually gather in groups of two or three and chat and laugh. After a while, the door of the government building slowly opened, and a team of guards walked out and said to the crowd: "Gentlemen, today's meeting is in the first conference room on the east side of the top floor. Please maintain seriousness and quietness when going upstairs."

Upon hearing the guard's instructions, everyone followed their lead and made their way up to the top floor of the government building. The top floor was the temporary residence of royal members such as the Duchess of Arthur and Louise County, Margaret, and Patricia, equipped with two conference rooms, a restaurant, and two offices.

The first conference room mentioned by the guard was the largest on the top floor and could accommodate up to 300 people, which was more than enough for the 190 members of parliament. Everyone walked cautiously, following the guard's instructions and avoiding looking around, as the guards were keeping a close eye on them. If anyone dared to look around, they could not only create a bad impression on Arthur but also risk being reprimanded.

Entering the conference room, everyone took their seats according to their assigned seating positions. Most people chose seats in the middle towards the back, while only a few brave governors and latecomers were left to nervously sit in the front rows where seats were scarce.

At 8 o'clock, as a bell rang, the guards pushed open the doors and Arthur walked in with a smile.

After surveying the room, he recognized several familiar faces among the crowd. He then said with a smile, "Congratulations to all of you for standing out from thousands or even tens of thousands of people and becoming the first members of the Australian House of Representatives."

Phew!

As soon as Arthur's first words were not serious, many of the representatives breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere was alleviated by half.

"But I still have to remind you that your status has changed. You are now official members of the Australian Public House of Representatives, with the power to decide on important officials in the country's cabinet and laws. You may have been ordinary civilians or local government officials before, but now you are all honored representatives. During your tenure, I do not want to see any corruption or bribery taking place. I hope that you all will serve in this important position with the purpose of developing Australia and building our beautiful home." Arthur suddenly changed his tone, becoming serious and solemn as he spoke.