Chapter 12 Speech and the Australian Constitution

May 8, 1900, Sydney.

Today is Queen Victoria's last day in Australia. Early tomorrow morning, the fleet will set off again to its real destination, White Island, New Zealand.

In recent days, Queen Victoria's complexion has indeed improved a lot because of the company of Arthur and Princess Beatrice. However, it can be seen with the naked eye that after the severe blow, the Queen's body is not as good as before, and she can even walk They all need help.

Seeing the day when the fleet was about to leave was getting closer, Arthur gradually felt reluctant and distressed.

Since she ascended the throne at a young age, Queen Victoria has been bound to the seemingly free throne. She has experienced the departure of many close relatives, and even missed her relatives until her death.

After fulfilling my wish to go to the Isle of Wight this time, I am afraid that the reason that kept Queen Victoria up has disappeared. Maybe the next time I see Queen Victoria, I will only be in the hospital bed.

Although Arthur wanted to retain Queen Victoria, Her Majesty's intention to leave was also very determined, so he had no choice but to give up.

In the square in the heart of Sydney Street.

This square was originally used by the old colonial government to station troops. After the city expanded several times, it became a public square.

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

A principality like Australia is different from an independent country. The establishment time of a monarchy is generally calculated according to the coronation time of the monarch.

Arthur's coronation was on January 10, 1900. In other words, the Principality of Australia had been established on January 10, 1900, so what Arthur prepared was just a coronation speech.

Because the colonies had already started reforming into states a week ago, after receiving the news that Arthur was about to hold a coronation speech in Sydney, not only the people of New South Wales, but also the nearby states of South Australia and Victoria Residents of Queensland and Queensland are also rushing to Sydney spontaneously.

As the morning sun shines on the earth, the birds on the trees are chirping as if to hurry time forward.

when! when! when! With the three chimes of the bell tower, the arrival of eight o'clock is announced. The crowd in the square began to become restless. Everyone focused on the high platform in the center of the square, looking forward to it, as if they were expecting something.

Not long after, Arthur came to the high platform escorted by a team of guards. Behind him were several members of the interim cabinet, who also served as interim governors.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, everyone!" Arthur stepped forward and greeted everyone with a slight smile.

Fortunately, loudspeakers had been invented by this time, otherwise it would have been difficult for everyone in the square to hear Arthur's voice.

After hearing Arthur's greeting, the square instantly became quiet. Everyone was listening carefully to their future ruler's first public speech.

"I know that most people don't know me yet. Please allow me to briefly introduce myself. I am Connaught Arthur, the Duke of Australia. You don't need to care about where I come from or my origins. Because from now on everyone has a common identity, that is, the great and noble Australian!" Arthur said with a smile.

"Long live Your Highness! Long live Australia!"

Arthur's speech was obviously recognized by most people. After hundreds of years of division in this land, almost all Australians dream of living in a unified and prosperous Australia.

Now, with the arrival of Arthur, the goal of reunification has been completed. All Australians are looking forward to whether this new monarch can make this new country prosperous?

"I believe everyone has heard about the Constitution promulgated a week ago. What we need most now is to break the autonomy and isolation that the states maintained during the colonial period. No matter which state they come from, the people are all great Australians. Everyone should be able to live freely and freely in any part of the country. Each state can trade freely. We can sell goods to any state in Australia and buy what we need in any state without worrying about anything in any state. policy."

Australia's only current political party, the Labor Party, was founded with the goal of safeguarding workers' interests and developing free trade in Australia.

By saying this, Arthur means that his policies are the same as the goals of the Labor Party, and he is also wooing members of the Labor Party in disguise.

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

The Labor Party is bound to have a large number of seats in the future House of Commons elections. Although Arthur is not worried about the Labor Party's struggle for power, it is best to have this force in his hands.

"Australia is a treasure land. We have a lot of land that can be cultivated, as well as rich minerals and resources. When this land was a colony, both immigrants and Australians faced relatively high taxes and exploitation. As Australia Duke, I don’t want to see this happen. Therefore, I have decided to lower taxes for all Australians and let all Australians live a prosperous life first!” Arthur continued to encourage people and said the same thing. Very tempting.

According to the previous taxation of the colonies, one-third of Australians' annual income became taxes and entered the accounts of the colonies, and then was transported to Britain.

But according to the taxation after Arthur's tax reduction, Australians only need to pay one-seventh of their annual income each year, which is more than half the reduction.

You know, the tax revenue in Australia is as high as more than two million pounds each year, and it would be a blessing if the tax revenue after the reduction can exceed one million pounds.

Is this because Arthur has too much money to spend and his brain is exhausted? Actually not.

First of all, a significant reduction in taxes can quickly win the hearts of the Australians, which is conducive to Arthur's establishment of a stable monarchy and a series of reform plans in Australia.

Secondly, Australia is known as a country sitting on a mine cart in later generations. Every year, it can earn a lot of foreign exchange income just by selling rich mineral resources.

Under such circumstances, the taxes of these Australians are just a drop in the bucket, so it is better to take the initiative to reduce them and win the favor of everyone.

For all ordinary civilians, the government's tax reduction is definitely something to be happy about.

What's more, the tax reduction this time is not a little bit, it is directly reduced by more than half.

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