ABSTRACT
In 1901, six previously independent Australian colonies, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Strategic and technological developments meant that a national, co-ordinated approach to defending Australia was needed to counter rising European Imperialism and Asian nationalism. Commencing in 1854, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria raised volunteer units to defend Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne respectively. Australian colonies lost their Imperial garrisons in response to this loss, Victoria, and then New South Wales, raised the first permanent or full-time colonial coastal artillery units; they were the first local standing armies raised in Australia and perhaps the Empire. The Victorian government in the late 1850s/early 1860s took a calculated risk in adopting a Volunteer Force to underpin the colonial defence schemes, particularly as the military effectiveness of the citizen soldiers was questionable due to the lack of any real discipline and the part-time nature of the military service.
