There has been a lot of political partying in Australia this year. First, there was the centenary of Federation, the coming together of the Australian states in 1901 as “a proud independent entity”.
This has required a considerable lapse of historical memory. Pride and independence had nothing to do with it. The Australian states united in order to persuade Mother England to be more protective of her faraway colony which, they pleaded, was threatened by “Asiatic hordes”, Russians, Germans and other demons.
There has also been the centenary of the foundation of the Australian Labor Party. A commemorative book, True Believers, was launched by the party’s famous figures, including three former prime ministers. What was striking about this celebration of Australia’s social-democratic tradition, known as “fair go”, was that all but one of the
— source johnpilger.com | john pilger | 11 Jun 2001