The colony of Victoria, when it separated from New South Wales in 1851, was granted only a limited form of self-government: a single legislative house with a government appointed by the Queen’s representative. It was essentially an outpost of the British government, and its priorities were British concerns – mainly, revenue from gold and land – not local needs. But the change was a step towards independence for Victoria.

The term ‘responsible government’ was coined in the 1830s during Canada’s struggle for self-determination. Based on the British, or Westminster, system of government, it means that a government is formed which has the support of the lower house of parliament and is responsible to that house and, through it, to the people.

In 1852 the British government decided that Victoria, thrust into sudden maturity by the gold rushes, was ready for a system of responsible government, giving it control of its own laws, revenue and crown lands. The paperwork took three years, but Victoria’s constitution – its blueprint for responsible government – was finally proclaimed in Melbourne on 23 November 1855.

'The colony of Victoria offers the best and the fairest illustration of the working of what is called constitutional government in Australia … Here is the garden of the Australian continent, where, if anywhere, democracy should flower.'
- HE Watts (attrib.), Democratic Government in Victoria, Melbourne, George Robertson, 1868

Illustrations
Top: Frederick Grosse (attrib.), Let it burn, I’m only a lodger, in Melbourne Punch, 1855
With the fires of Eureka still burning, Governor Sir Charles Hotham packs his cabin trunk and turns his back on Victoria and its troubles.
Bottom: John Pascoe Fawkner, 'Constitution and form of Government', c1835, Manuscript