At least two persistent themes emerge from the movement to federation in Australia as it progressed during the last decades of the nineteenth century. First, despite the fact that the Australian colonies were united by a common law and the common overarching authority of the imperial Parliament, the colonies insisted on exercising an autonomous capacity to decide whether to join an Australian federation and, if so, on what basis. While the Colonial Office at times sought to encourage federation, it recognised – especially in the light of its experience with the American colonies – that it would be best, in the final analysis, to allow the Australians to have the final say over their constitutional futures. The arrival of local self-government in the mid part of the century meant, therefore, that the prospects of federation would depend upon the cooperation and agreement of the parliaments and governments of each colony.

The second theme in the movement towards federation was a growing realisation among its proponents in Australia that voters in the several colonies would not support federation unless they were given a substantial sense of participation in the process.