• About Us
• For Schools
• Research And Seminar Papers
• Exhibitions Online
  • Governors And Premiers
  • The Australian Honours System
  • Proclamation Day
  • Interactive Referendum
  • Changing Constitutions
  • A Nation at Last
  • Our Constitution
    • Occupation
    • Outpost of Empire
    • Administration, The Govenors
    • The Legislative Council
    • Convicts
    • Towards Self Government
    • 1869 Petition - An Elective Legislative Council
    • A Draft Constitution
    • The voice of the people
    • The Six Hungry Families
    • Britain Decides
    • The Royal Assent
    • Path of Progress
    • Proclamation Day
    • Celebrating a New Start
    • Why have a constitution
    • Aboriginal people and the constitution
    • The Western Australian Parliament
    • The constitution
    • A vote for All?
    • "Widening Circles" - Political Power from Colonisation
    • Women and Political Opportunity
    • Women and Political Opportunity (Cont.)
    • Rapid Growth
    • Rapid Growth (Cont.)
    • Gold and Political Reform
    • Gold and Political Reform (Cont.)
    • Federation
    • Federation (Cont.)
    • The Constitution Today
  • A Vote of Her Own
• Civic Educators Network
• Games
• 175th Anniversary
• Cabinet Records

Our Constitution

The Legislative Council The partly elected Legislative Council of Western Australia. Courtesy Battye Library 52125P

However, the Governor could still veto the council's decisions and some colonists remained dissatisfied. They wanted a fully-elected parliament to run the colony's affairs.

Colonists began arguing for self-government within years of the change to a partly-elected Legislative Council.

An attempt to hasten self-government foundered because of opposition in Britain but, by the 1880s, the call for political change was so strong that it could not be denied.