Introduction

The transition of the Colonial postal systems within Australia into a uniform Federal system was a very gradual process, hampered not only by inherent differences in outlook in the several States but by the political circumstances of the day.

Despite these difficulties, the Postmaster-General's Department, over the period 1901 to 1912, while still maintaining the six regional postage stamp series and their separate designs, did vary them otherwise to the extent that the stamps lost many of the characteristics of their Colonial origins and acquired a distinctly Federal character. The purpose of this work is to explain the environmental backgrounds which led to the maintenance of regional stamp series for 12 years and the various changes of philatelic and postal history interest which occurred during this period.

Transition

The form of postage stamps to be available to the public within the Commonwealth of Australia after Federation was one of many matters which exercised the minds of senior postal officers, firstly at joint conferences of the several Australian Colonies before Federation, and subsequently over the years until the appearance in 1913 of the first uniform stamp series.

The postal view was that a uniform series should be introduced very shortly after Federation. One recommendation which might have been adopted, if other factors had not intruded, was that all Australian Colonial postage stamps should be declared valid for use in any part of the continent and issued with the overprint "AC" signifying "Australian Commonwealth".

The Federal Constitution provided that all postal matters became the responsibility of the Federal government. As a corollary, the new States, erstwhile Colonies, had no jurisdiction in postal affairs. The six separate Post and Telegraph departments were transferred to the Commonwealth on 1 March 1901, and this amalgamation marked the beginning of the Postmaster-General's Department. From that date, all postage stamps were issued under the authority of the new department.

An aspect arising in this connection concerns the status of postage stamps issued over the period from 1 January 1901, when Federation came into being, until the end of February 1901. It cannot be questioned that such stamps were the products of the Colonial period and were sold by State (erstwhile Colonial) officers awaiting transfer to the Commonwealth. However, as Federation was then in being and the Colonies no longer legal entities as such, having been succeeded by the States which as mentioned had no authority to issue postage stamps, those stamps currently in use had by reason of the political climate acquired a new status — that of Commonwealth issues.

Factually, it must be recognized that the Colonial postal departments continued to function without obvious change when the calendar turned to 1901, but in the broader view and with cognizance of the political background they had become in actuality agents of the new Federal government. From 1 March 1901, the position is of course a great deal clearer.

During the Colonial regimes, some categories of duty stamps and of postage stamps had interchangeable usage. The necessity of varying this practice so that postal and fiscal revenues could be separated was foreseen, and necessary action was initiated in the several Colonies. So far as New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania were concerned, the arrangements were made and gazetted prior to the end of 1900 so that from 1 January 1901, fiscal stamps of those States had no postal validity. The Western Australian Gazette notice also stipulated that from 1 January 1901, revenue and postage stamps were no longer interchangeable.

However, as the notice was not gazetted until 17 January 1901, the status odf any revenue stamps which may have been used for postage purposes during the interval is of some doubt.

In Victoria, an Act of Parliament assented to on 27 December 1900, almost on the eve of Federation, provided that no stamp on which the words "Stamp Duty" appeared could be used for postal purpose. However, the Act then went on to authorize the use of such stamps for postal purposes until 30 June 1901.

There is no doubt that in Victoria stamps inscribed "'Stamp Duty" were so used. The practice was permitted by the Victorian administration of the Postmaster-General's Department and it is of equal significance that the condition was set out in the Postal Guide of the day.

While it is questionable if the validity of the Victorian Act was maintained after Federation, it is clear that usage of "Stamp Duty" issues was permitted as that Act intended. Stamps which were within the defined category, and they included denominations up to £100, must therefore also be regarded as having acquired Commonwealth status, in the postal sense, up to 30 June 1901. After that date they were simply Victorian duty stamps, not valid for postage.

South Australia presented a different situation. Its pre-Federation legislation had provided that adhesive stamps could be used for stamp duty purposes and for this reason the Colony did not have a separate series of revenue stamps. At Federation, the position could not be altered quickly. All stamp printing was then being carried out by the Post Office and some time was, required to prepare new postage stamps to replace those inscribed "Postage and Revenue", and also to allow the State to produce separate duty stamps. For this reason, it came about after 1 January 1901, stamps inscribed “Postage ands Revenue”, with values up to £20, continued to be valid for both purposes.

By a (South Australian) Stamp Act Amendment which came into force on 24 October 1902, it was provided that the only adhesive stamps which could be used for fiscal purposes in South Australia were those inscribed "Stamp Duty". The new revenue series, bearing those words, was then available.

An immediate effect was that stamps inscribed "Postage and Revenue" ceased to have validity for State revenue purposes but their postal status remained unimpaired. About this time, new stamps bearing the inscription "Postage" in lieu of "Postage and Revenue" commenced to appear and within a short time the earlier series was completely replaced, although never invalidated.

Extracted from APO Booklet “The Early Federal Period – 1901to 1912-13”