Chapter 13: House of Commons Elections

On the bustling square, a few birds tentatively landed on the branches, ready to search for insects among the leaves, only to be scared off by the cheers of the crowd below them. They left behind some feathers that floated gently down, proving the birds' brief presence.

Atop the high platform, Arthur was very satisfied with the cheering crowd. It seemed that his plan to reduce taxes and win the people's hearts had been very successful. If the Australian people had been eagerly anticipating Arthur's rule based on their desire for unification, then after the tax reduction, they had begun to welcome and appreciate Arthur's arrival.

Since that was the case, Arthur didn't mind adding more fuel to the fire. He signaled for the crowd to quiet down, as he had more important news to announce.

Sure enough, after seeing Arthur's gesture, the boisterous square suddenly went quiet in a lightning fast manner, as if the previous lively atmosphere had never existed.

Satisfied with the effect, Arthur smiled and said, "At the same time, I have another crucial announcement to make. Despite our nation being a monarchy, I am more than happy to grant my citizens their deserved rights. I declare the establishment of the Upper House and the House of Commons. The elections for the House of Commons will take place from May 10th to May 17th, every two years. The18th to 24th of May will be the period for counting the votes, and the elected members of the House of Commons will officially commence their duties on May 25th after the results are announced. Now, every Australian can proudly proclaim that you can fight freely for your own rights!"

"Long live the Your Highness! Long live Australia!"

As Arthur's bombshells kept dropping, all the Australians present were growing more and more satisfied with him. Everyone was thankful that the Federal Committee had been blocked by the United Kingdom during their time, or else the colonial rulers would have continued to govern Australia. Now, Arthur had not only reduced taxes but also granted rights to the Australian people.

"My fellow citizens, everyone in the House of Commons election can participate, and every adult Australian has one vote. During the elections, I will send the royal guards to inspect the polling sites to ensure that our House of Commons elections won't have any fraud. The House of Commons has the power to create and amend ordinary laws and to elect cabinet members. It is one of Australia's most important departments. Now, as the Duke of Australia, I grant this power to all my people. Let all Australians participate and bear witness to the rise of Australia in this beautiful world. Long live Australia!" Arthur became more and more excited as he spoke, eventually raising his voice into a shout.

At this point, no one noticed Arthur's slightly improper behavior, as everyone was immersed in the joy and excitement, shouting along with him.

Cheers and applause accompanied his speech, as Arthur flawlessly concluded his coronation address.

If before, Australians regarded Arthur as a mysterious and highly anticipated figure, now they held him in even higher esteem than Queen Victoria, who had ruled them for tens of years. He was seen in the eyes of the people as an incredibly kind and outstanding monarch.

If Arthur could maintain his popularity and reputation among the Australian people, his position in Australia would be unshakable.

May 9, 1900, Sydney Harbour.

After staying in Australia for more than ten days, Queen Victoria finally had to continue her journey to White Island.

Looking at the boy who had grown taller than herself, Queen Victoria couldn't help but feel moved and said with a smile, "Arthur, your speech was excellent. I believe under your leadership, Australia will become the most dazzling jewel of Oceania."

"Grandmother, you must take care of your health. Arthur is still looking forward to attending your 70th anniversary coronation celebrations!" Arthur didn't respond to Queen Victoria's praise but said with an unwilling expression.

"Hahaha, good child, your grandmother knows. Your mother and two sisters still need your care in Australia. I have already arranged for the best teachers from England to teach you and your sisters. I hope the next time we meet, my Arthur will have grown into an outstanding ruler, and I will be proud of you." Queen Victoria kissed Arthur on the forehead then left with Princess Beatrice and her fleet, without looking back.

If Queen Victoria's trembling shoulders hadn't betrayed her true feelings, perhaps the parting would not have been so poignant.

After bidding farewell to Queen Victoria, Arthur was ready to receive her precious legacy.

A full 2,000 British Royal Guards and their families, nearly 8,000 people in total, along with two British chefs, two maids, six servants, and one personal tailor.

In addition, there were 237 million pounds and 50 million pounds worth of industrial equipment, as well as two armament factories, one steel factory, and one shipbuilding factory in Britain, where important equipment and skilled workers had been all relocated to Australia.

To be honest, Arthur was grateful for being born into the British Royal Family and being the only son of Queen Victoria's favorite son, Duke Arthur.

Even when his land was changed to the industrial and infrastructure free Australia, he still had a start-up capital of over 200 million pounds, 50 million pounds worth of industrial equipment, and several factories.

It was not a question of what a huge sum of money 200 million pounds could do. Even just 50 million pounds worth of industrial equipment, and these factories could enable Australia's industrial sector to expand rapidly and bridge the gap with Western countries.

What was even more important was that Australia had an abundance of mineral resources, including coal, iron, aluminum, petroleum, natural gas, gold, silver, and various other minerals. Each mineral supply was rich and abundant, which could completely build Australia into a powerful industrial nation.

Australia also had incredibly rich natural uranium mines, a key component to produce atomic bombs. Even in later generations, the world's available natural uranium reserves barely reached 5 million tons, with Australia having more than 610,000 tons- more than one-ninth of the total reserves.

With such abundant mineral resources, large start-up capital, and massive industrial equipment, as well as support from the strongest industrial power of the British Empire in the short term, Arthur had full confidence in raising Australia's industrial level to European second-tier status or even challenging the top European countries.

Moreover, Australia held a unique geographical advantage at this time. Competitors in Oceania were nonexistent, and two potential rivals, an island nation and the United States, had their reasons and restrictions that wouldn't pose a threat to Australia in the short term.