Introduction
Australia is a partner to be proud of: a sovereign constitutional monarchy with our Queen as Head of State, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and a prosperous democracy built on and dedicated to free trade that gave us priceless support in two world wars.
BY 1776, a thousand convicts each year were being spared the gallows and transported to the American colonies, a practice begun in 1614, but abruptly ended by the American Declaration of Independence.
‘Hulks’, prison ships moored in the Thames, offered only a temporary solution. Fortunately, in 1770 James Cook had charted the southeastern coast of Australia, and the ‘First Fleet’, carrying a thousand convicts, landed at Port Jackson, New South Wales, in January 1788.* Forty years later, some fifty thousand had moved to the other side of the world.
After initially neglecting the colony, London relaxed trade restrictions and a mutually beneficial trade in wool and gold brought wealth and settlers. In 1840, New South Wales refused further transportations, which ceased altogether in 1867.
In 1850, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia were granted self-government, with Western Australia following in 1890.* National independence came with the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia and a federal Parliament at Canberra on 1st January, 1901.*
Following the Admiralty’s Instructions, Captain Phillip originally landed at Botany Bay and intended to found the colony there, but quickly moved it to a more promising location, now Sydney. See The First Fleet.
The Act also created the Colony of Victoria. New South Wales was a little left behind by the Act of 1850, but put that right soon afterwards with a strongly-worded petition. See Mischievous Interference.
Parliament met at Melbourne, Victoria, until Canberra was ready in 1927. For an extract from Sir Henry Parkes’s historic speech urging federation, see The Crimson Thread. Australia now has six states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia; and two major mainland territories: the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Précis
Australia began as a British penal colony in 1778, but within fifty years it had established its own prosperous economy. From 1850 onwards, Australia gradually moved towards self-government, first for each of the individual states, and then as a single nation, which in 1901 was granted its own autonomous federal parliament as the Commonwealth of Australia. (56 / 60 words)
Australia began as a British penal colony in 1778, but within fifty years it had established its own prosperous economy. From 1850 onwards, Australia gradually moved towards self-government, first for each of the individual states, and then as a single nation, which in 1901 was granted its own autonomous federal parliament as the Commonwealth of Australia.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, despite, must, or, since, until, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Begin. Land. Solution.
2 Far. National. Which.
3 Cease. End. Hulk.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
vlts (6+1)
evaluates. valets. vaults. violates. violets. volts.
ovulates.
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