Aurora Australis - part one
POD – In the aftermath of the First World War the Australian people having lost so many of their sons, husbands and brothers in foreign wars and through them the Australian political parties decide to take a more self-reliant approach to defence and foreign affairs.
Instead of relying on mother England for protection the future Australian governments set in place a policy of building Australia’s armed forces to a level in which Australia would in the decades to come become a power in South East Asia.
1919: After the great Spanish flu pandemic the Australian government starts its long-term plan to be more self reliant in defence and foreign affairs.
This involves encouraging mass migration to Australia. The incentive is land.
Every skilled migrant or migrant family will be entitled to a ¼ acre land grant. Knowledge of the English language is not required but all must show a willingness to learn.
The second part of the plan is to encourage foreign business to start subsidiaries in Australia. To provide incentives for this the Australian government offers free land for the industries to build on as well as lowering taxation and removing all export licences and tariffs. One of the main selling points to the foreign business is Australia’s abundant natural resources and the government’s willingness to assist any firm in their exploitation.
1920: The Australian citizenship act is passed by the government and signed into law by the Governor General. Australians are now citizens in their own right not mere subjects of the British Empire.
In other changes referendums are passed so the constitution gains a bill of rights and that both houses of parliament must approved a declaration of war petitioned by the Prime Minister.
1921: In the two years since it’s inception Australia’s new emigration policy has been a massive success. Over 250,000 white Europeans a year have migrated to Australia (there is unspoken bias towards white migrants). Of these migrants most are from Germany Austria, Ireland, Wales and North England. On arrival most find jobs in the flourishing mining industry with Ballarat and Bendigo leading the way reopening the gold mines closed during the war and using the newly arrived skilled labor to open new ones.
Overseas industrial and mining firms always looking for new opportunities start opening Australian subsidiaries. The major companies to take advantage of the Australian government’s offer are Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries, Blohn and Voss shipwrights, Harland and Wolf shipwrights, Fokker Aircraft company (with Anthony Fokker in residence) and Anaconda. The reason for the preponderance of German Industry setting up subsidiaries is an attempt to avoid restrictions associated with the Treaty of Versailles.
To encourage the shipwrights to come to Australia the Australian Government commissioned the construction of six destroyers with the indication of more contracts to follow.
Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries and Blohn and Voss Shipwrights set up in Melbourne while the Fokker Aircraft company sets up in Geelong. Harland and Wolf shipwrights set up in Sydney along with Anaconda.
The new migrants tend to follow each other with most of the German, Austrian and Dutch settling in Melbourne and Adelaide while the Irish and those from northern England go to the various mining centres around the country.
1922: The RAAF is now using the Fokker D-VII as the mainstay of the airforce using the parts Anthony Fokker brought with him from his German factory. In total the RAAF has 120 D-VII’s with an additional 400 engines that will be used when more airframes are produced.
Along with his airforce contracts Anthony Fokker continues the design for the Fokker F.7 trimotor which would enter production in the next two years.
The Australian governments post war policies are staring to pay dividends with the Fokker Aircraft company selling aircraft to the US Army Air Corps. Mercedes-Benz and Ford motor companies are supplying all Australia’s motorised transport needs while Krupp is starting to produce heavy mining equipment and train engines.
In the resources sector Australia has become the second largest gold producer in the world second only to South Africa with exports of iron and other metals increasing rapidly. The only concern to the government is the main purchaser of these metals is Japan the one country that poses the greatest security threat to Australia. However business is business and if Australia is to continue to grow and get stronger it needs a vibrant economy.
1923: The Washington naval treaty is signed into effect by the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. There is one notable exception; Australia withdrew from the treaty when advised that their naval allocation would be included in that of the British Empire. On leaving, Senator the Right Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister for Home and Territories stated that Australia would not be totally reliant on a foreign power even a friendly former colonial one for it’s sole defence.
POD – In the aftermath of the First World War the Australian people having lost so many of their sons, husbands and brothers in foreign wars and through them the Australian political parties decide to take a more self-reliant approach to defence and foreign affairs.
Instead of relying on mother England for protection the future Australian governments set in place a policy of building Australia’s armed forces to a level in which Australia would in the decades to come become a power in South East Asia.
1919: After the great Spanish flu pandemic the Australian government starts its long-term plan to be more self reliant in defence and foreign affairs.
This involves encouraging mass migration to Australia. The incentive is land.
Every skilled migrant or migrant family will be entitled to a ¼ acre land grant. Knowledge of the English language is not required but all must show a willingness to learn.
The second part of the plan is to encourage foreign business to start subsidiaries in Australia. To provide incentives for this the Australian government offers free land for the industries to build on as well as lowering taxation and removing all export licences and tariffs. One of the main selling points to the foreign business is Australia’s abundant natural resources and the government’s willingness to assist any firm in their exploitation.
1920: The Australian citizenship act is passed by the government and signed into law by the Governor General. Australians are now citizens in their own right not mere subjects of the British Empire.
In other changes referendums are passed so the constitution gains a bill of rights and that both houses of parliament must approved a declaration of war petitioned by the Prime Minister.
1921: In the two years since it’s inception Australia’s new emigration policy has been a massive success. Over 250,000 white Europeans a year have migrated to Australia (there is unspoken bias towards white migrants). Of these migrants most are from Germany Austria, Ireland, Wales and North England. On arrival most find jobs in the flourishing mining industry with Ballarat and Bendigo leading the way reopening the gold mines closed during the war and using the newly arrived skilled labor to open new ones.
Overseas industrial and mining firms always looking for new opportunities start opening Australian subsidiaries. The major companies to take advantage of the Australian government’s offer are Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries, Blohn and Voss shipwrights, Harland and Wolf shipwrights, Fokker Aircraft company (with Anthony Fokker in residence) and Anaconda. The reason for the preponderance of German Industry setting up subsidiaries is an attempt to avoid restrictions associated with the Treaty of Versailles.
To encourage the shipwrights to come to Australia the Australian Government commissioned the construction of six destroyers with the indication of more contracts to follow.
Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries and Blohn and Voss Shipwrights set up in Melbourne while the Fokker Aircraft company sets up in Geelong. Harland and Wolf shipwrights set up in Sydney along with Anaconda.
The new migrants tend to follow each other with most of the German, Austrian and Dutch settling in Melbourne and Adelaide while the Irish and those from northern England go to the various mining centres around the country.
1922: The RAAF is now using the Fokker D-VII as the mainstay of the airforce using the parts Anthony Fokker brought with him from his German factory. In total the RAAF has 120 D-VII’s with an additional 400 engines that will be used when more airframes are produced.
Along with his airforce contracts Anthony Fokker continues the design for the Fokker F.7 trimotor which would enter production in the next two years.
The Australian governments post war policies are staring to pay dividends with the Fokker Aircraft company selling aircraft to the US Army Air Corps. Mercedes-Benz and Ford motor companies are supplying all Australia’s motorised transport needs while Krupp is starting to produce heavy mining equipment and train engines.
In the resources sector Australia has become the second largest gold producer in the world second only to South Africa with exports of iron and other metals increasing rapidly. The only concern to the government is the main purchaser of these metals is Japan the one country that poses the greatest security threat to Australia. However business is business and if Australia is to continue to grow and get stronger it needs a vibrant economy.
1923: The Washington naval treaty is signed into effect by the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. There is one notable exception; Australia withdrew from the treaty when advised that their naval allocation would be included in that of the British Empire. On leaving, Senator the Right Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister for Home and Territories stated that Australia would not be totally reliant on a foreign power even a friendly former colonial one for it’s sole defence.