Aurora Australis

Aurora Australis - part one

POD – In the aftermath of the First World War the Australian people having lost so many of their sons, husbands and brothers in foreign wars and through them the Australian political parties decide to take a more self-reliant approach to defence and foreign affairs.
Instead of relying on mother England for protection the future Australian governments set in place a policy of building Australia’s armed forces to a level in which Australia would in the decades to come become a power in South East Asia.

1919: After the great Spanish flu pandemic the Australian government starts its long-term plan to be more self reliant in defence and foreign affairs.
This involves encouraging mass migration to Australia. The incentive is land.
Every skilled migrant or migrant family will be entitled to a ¼ acre land grant. Knowledge of the English language is not required but all must show a willingness to learn.
The second part of the plan is to encourage foreign business to start subsidiaries in Australia. To provide incentives for this the Australian government offers free land for the industries to build on as well as lowering taxation and removing all export licences and tariffs. One of the main selling points to the foreign business is Australia’s abundant natural resources and the government’s willingness to assist any firm in their exploitation.

1920: The Australian citizenship act is passed by the government and signed into law by the Governor General. Australians are now citizens in their own right not mere subjects of the British Empire.
In other changes referendums are passed so the constitution gains a bill of rights and that both houses of parliament must approved a declaration of war petitioned by the Prime Minister.

1921: In the two years since it’s inception Australia’s new emigration policy has been a massive success. Over 250,000 white Europeans a year have migrated to Australia (there is unspoken bias towards white migrants). Of these migrants most are from Germany Austria, Ireland, Wales and North England. On arrival most find jobs in the flourishing mining industry with Ballarat and Bendigo leading the way reopening the gold mines closed during the war and using the newly arrived skilled labor to open new ones.
Overseas industrial and mining firms always looking for new opportunities start opening Australian subsidiaries. The major companies to take advantage of the Australian government’s offer are Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries, Blohn and Voss shipwrights, Harland and Wolf shipwrights, Fokker Aircraft company (with Anthony Fokker in residence) and Anaconda. The reason for the preponderance of German Industry setting up subsidiaries is an attempt to avoid restrictions associated with the Treaty of Versailles.
To encourage the shipwrights to come to Australia the Australian Government commissioned the construction of six destroyers with the indication of more contracts to follow.
Mercedes-Benz, Krupp heavy industries and Blohn and Voss Shipwrights set up in Melbourne while the Fokker Aircraft company sets up in Geelong. Harland and Wolf shipwrights set up in Sydney along with Anaconda.
The new migrants tend to follow each other with most of the German, Austrian and Dutch settling in Melbourne and Adelaide while the Irish and those from northern England go to the various mining centres around the country.

1922: The RAAF is now using the Fokker D-VII as the mainstay of the airforce using the parts Anthony Fokker brought with him from his German factory. In total the RAAF has 120 D-VII’s with an additional 400 engines that will be used when more airframes are produced.
Along with his airforce contracts Anthony Fokker continues the design for the Fokker F.7 trimotor which would enter production in the next two years.
The Australian governments post war policies are staring to pay dividends with the Fokker Aircraft company selling aircraft to the US Army Air Corps. Mercedes-Benz and Ford motor companies are supplying all Australia’s motorised transport needs while Krupp is starting to produce heavy mining equipment and train engines.
In the resources sector Australia has become the second largest gold producer in the world second only to South Africa with exports of iron and other metals increasing rapidly. The only concern to the government is the main purchaser of these metals is Japan the one country that poses the greatest security threat to Australia. However business is business and if Australia is to continue to grow and get stronger it needs a vibrant economy.

1923: The Washington naval treaty is signed into effect by the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. There is one notable exception; Australia withdrew from the treaty when advised that their naval allocation would be included in that of the British Empire. On leaving, Senator the Right Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister for Home and Territories stated that Australia would not be totally reliant on a foreign power even a friendly former colonial one for it’s sole defence.

This is a rather good AH so far, & being an Australian, I like the fact that Australia becomes more independent & is prepared to do so.

There's one major problem I see with this AH, however, & that's all the German companies that are setting up shop so soon after WW1. As is written in the first paragraph, Australia has lost a lot of her sons in the Great War. Many of these were lost to Germans. So unless Australia goes through mass amnesia, I don't see awarding German companies, as described as such in the AH, as going down too well with the electorate. And considering we're talking a Billy Hughes government at this point, he needs all the support he can get after betraying the Labor Party like he did.

I like it and look forward to reading more.

DMA said:

This is a rather good AH so far, & being an Australian, I like the fact that Australia becomes more independent & is prepared to do so.

There's one major problem I see with this AH, however, & that's all the German companies that are setting up shop so soon after WW1. As is written in the first paragraph, Australia has lost a lot of her sons in the Great War. Many of these were lost to Germans. So unless Australia goes through mass amnesia, I don't see awarding German companies, as described as such in the AH, as going down too well with the electorate. And considering we're talking a Billy Hughes government at this point, he needs all the support he can get after betraying the Labor Party like he did.

Click to expand...

My theory for the preponderance of German companies is the need for Australia to rapidly industrialise and for German companies trying to avoid the Treaty of Versailles by setting up Australian subsidiaries. I will go into greater details as the TL progresses.

david

Aurora Australis Part two

This is a TL I have been working on for awhile I am trying to keep it feasable so if you think I have gone overboard just let me know. And now part Two

1924: The main event of this year is the launching of the first of the new RAN destroyers the HMAS Seaspray. Although nominally a destroyer and designed for this role with a displacement of 3500 tons its main armament is that of a light cruiser with eight six inch guns and a crew of 400. On the international scene Australia and the Netherlands enter into an agreement that Australia will supply repair and replenishment services to the Dutch units deployed in south east Asia in exchange for preferential prices for Dutch oil shipments to Australia.

1925: Having seen the success of the Seaspray class destroyers the Australian government commissions six more. At the same time is asks its contractors to design a heavy cruiser for consideration of the RAN with the view of possible future construction.
The shipyards in Australia are booming with orders from a number of Australian shipping companies who need large merchant ships to transport the manufactured goods and resources to their various markets.
The Australian economy is now in transition no longer dependent on primary industry.
Resources as its prime exporter have replaced farming with manufacturing coming third but growing rapidly.
With the growth in Adelaide and the service agreement with the Netherlands the Australian government commissions the construction of a new naval base as well as a north - south railway linking Darwin to Adelaide. To avoid difficulties relating to different gauges of track being used in each state the Australian government introduces the Standard gauge railway act. This act compels the states to build railways using the standard gauge. To stop any grumbles from the states the Federal government subsidises the conversion of all existing tracks. On hearing of these new plans Anaconda asks for permission to build a rail spur from their Mount Isa joint venture with BHP to the new railway. Without much thought by the government permission is granted.
The Army under General Monash is agitating for a bigger cut of the defence cake as it has been left behind in the last few years in favour of the RAN and RAAF.

1926: The Minister for defence in an attempt to stop the discord in the army over the increased funding for the RAN and RAAF asks General Monash to develop a force structure for the RAA that would allow it to meet the requirements of protecting Australia from external aggression. The defence minister throws the army a bone by advising General Monash that the Australian Military Industries program have been approved and a government backed privately owned Australian armaments industry will start producing arms for both domestic and foreign needs.
Australia’s population has grown to ten million. Most of the growth has been in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. In the last year a new source of migrants have started to arrive. Italians trying to escape fascism have started arriving in large numbers and settling in Queensland where the start many market gardens and farms to produce food for Australia’s growing population.
The initial designs for the RAN’s heavy cruiser have been received and reviewed by the RAN. In the end the RAN asks both Blohn and Voss and Harland and Wolf shipwrights to get together and submit a joint design using the best of both designs.
In the resource sector Anaconda has just discovered what they believe to be the largest bauxite deposit in the world and quickly get permission to exploit this discovery. More large gold deposits have been discovered in Queensland and Western Australia closing the gap between Australia and South Africa in terms of production.
The naval program is stretching the Australian government’s finances but the increased tax base caused by the massed migration has enabled the program to continue.
The bright side of the equation for Australia is a massive increase in its gold and silver reserves. Overseas banks and institutions knowing of this growing reserve are lending money to Australia on very favourable terms.

1927: The design for the RAN’s ten new heavy cruisers has been agreed to and initial construction will start on these powerful ships shortly. The design is a combination of the conservative RN standards with the use of German technical proficiency. The class will displace 12000 tons have a length of 600 feet with a beam of 69 feet and a draft of 21 feet. They will be armed with 8 x 12inch main guns in four turrets fore and aft, secondary 10 x 6inch guns with 8 x 533mm torpedo tubes and two aircraft. Anti aircraft defences consist of 10 x 40mm and 20 x 20mm cannons. The ship has a peacetime crew of 800. Their construction will us the new technique of electric arc welding with the ships being powered by four shaft geared steam turbines run by eight oil fuelled boilers with a maximum speed of 35 knots. These ships will be expensive yet the cost must be accepted if Australia is to grow strong.
In other developments Australia’s population continues to grow while exports to Asia and particularly Japan continue to grow.
On the industrial side an aluminium smelter has started construction in Geelong while the Fokker Aircraft Company continues to sell large numbers of its trimotor. Anthony Fokker has turned his mind to other projects including an all-metal transport / bomber plane and a mono wing scout / fighter aircraft.

1928: The United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan object to the Australian government about the building of the new heavy cruisers. In response the Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce advises them that as Australia is an independent country and they saw fit not to allocate Australia it’s own ship tonnage at the Washington Treaty summit Australia cannot be obliged to uphold a treaty that it did not sign. Even though this statement causes a cooling of relations between the governments in question it does not stop these governments purchasing the cheap primary goods and resources Australia has for offer.
On the domestic scene General Monash has developed a force structure for the RAA that would allow it to protect Australia. The Australian Defence plan calls for a mobile Australian Army using vehicles capable of traversing all types of terrain with either towed or self propelled artillery and spotter planes to advise field commanders where any potential enemy might be.
The Defence minister calls on business operating in Australia to make submissions on the possible supply of vehicles that meet the operating criteria.
On receiving this proposal the Australian manager of General Motors asks permission to enter into a merger with Holden motor body builders in an attempt to get the inside running by claiming to be an Australian company not merely an overseas subsidiary of a foreign firm.
Anthony Fokker holds a high level meeting with Rolls - Royce at the end of the meeting both companies agree to set up a joint venture aircraft engine company using the best engine designs both companies produce.

Good work Syphon, nice to see a non war pod for a change.

Syphon said:

My theory for the preponderance of German companies is the need for Australia to rapidly industrialise and for German companies trying to avoid the Treaty of Versailles by setting up Australian subsidiaries. I will go into greater details as the TL progresses.

david

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Well you may need to tinker with how the Germans set up shop in Australia as it will not be acceptable to the Australian People the way you have it currently. May I suggest that, in accordance with your theory, the Australian govt takes a 50% holding in the German companies, which you've mentioned, instead of a monetary payment for reparations as per the Versailles Treaty. This way they'll become Australian-German companies which would be acceptable. Otherwise the Hughes govt looses power the next election & that would put a halt to your AH somewhere around 1920.

Your new section is very good. Only one thing, though, that concerns me & that's these "heavy cruisers". In reality they are "battlecruisers". Is this meant to be, classifying them "heavy cruisers" instead of "battlecruisers", because of the Washington Treaty? Because if that's the case, well it doesn't really matter because you've said that Australia didn't sign the Washington Treaty. Anyway, considering their tonnage & weaponry, you could classify them frigates, but everyone else will call them battlecruisers regardless because that's what they are.

Michael said:

Good work Syphon, nice to see a non war pod for a change.

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There will be wars later on I believe that a lot of fthe technology developed was a direct result of the various wars particually WW2. Its just that I'm trying to develope a self reliant Australia that will try to avoid direct involvement in any conflict that doesn't directly relate Australian territory.

david

OK, that's cool but what i meant was that the pod was not a war, i wasn't saying that there were not going to be any wars in this just that a battle or something wasn't the instigation of this new australia... Hang on, i guess it was... geez i have to start reading what i type still good work though david.

DMA said:

Well you may need to tinker with how the Germans set up shop in Australia as it will not be acceptable to the Australian People the way you have it currently. May I suggest that, in accordance with your theory, the Australian govt takes a 50% holding in the German companies, which you've mentioned, instead of a monetary payment for reparations as per the Versailles Treaty. This way they'll become Australian-German companies which would be acceptable. Otherwise the Hughes govt looses power the next election & that would put a halt to your AH somewhere around 1920.

The particular party holding office doesn't really matter in this Tl as both have similar policies regarding foreign investment and immigration part of your concerns will be addressed in part three.

Your new section is very good. Only one thing, though, that concerns me & that's these "heavy cruisers". In reality they are "battlecruisers". Is this meant to be, classifying them "heavy cruisers" instead of "battlecruisers", because of the Washington Treaty? Because if that's the case, well it doesn't really matter because you've said that Australia didn't sign the Washington Treaty. Anyway, considering their tonnage & weaponry, you could classify them frigates, but everyone else will call them battlecruisers regardless because that's what they are.

Click to expand...

I deliberately called them heavy cruisers in line with how the German battlecruisers were redesignated heavy cruisers later in WW2 when America built their large cruisers ie the Alaska class. My intention was to have ships that could be depolyed to local areas to deal with any raiders and small fleets without avation ships.

As I'm still writing and revising this TL I would like you input as to whether I have gone overboad with my numbers. Please take into account however that Australia is industrilised to a much greater degree and its population is growing rapidly and as such has port facilities in every major city.

david

Aurora Australis Part Three

1929: The Finance minister seeing the gathering storm clouds caused by the stock the stock market crash issues a statement to the stock exchange. In the statement he announces that any company or business that the government deems to be in the national interest will have all their loans paid off by the Australian government in exchange for an equity interest in the firms in question equal in value to the loans repaid.
The Fokker Aircraft Company shows the RAAF and the RAA it’s new mono wing spotter plane. Both organisations are interested in new aircraft but are concerned about lack of performance and endurance. After several weeks of discussions both organisations order 30 aircraft for training purposes while Fokker improves the design.
The export of resources has slowed as the world economy goes into a deep recession over the stock market crash. In order to keep the mines, business and the people employed, the Australian Government enacts a policy of the Australian National Reserve. What this policy entails is that the mining industry can continue production of resources at the current levels and whatever resources are not used or sold will be purchased by the government and stored as part of the Strategic Resource Defence Reserve.
The merger of General Motors Australia and Holden has been completed and the new company GMH demonstrates a robust truck that might meet the army’s requirements. The army buys ten of these vehicles to test them while stating that any further purchases will be dependant on GMH’s ability to completely manufacture the vehicles in Australia.

1930: Australia’s population has now reached 12 million with more people of Europe migrating to escape the effects of the depression that is gripping the world.
Australia has escaped the worst effects of the Great Depression by encouraging business to be more conservative with their finances. As a number of banks have failed in Australia, the Australian government had the Commonwealth Bank purchase the secured loans of these institutions to prevent an avalanche of mortgage foreclosures.
In business circles the Australian government has taken significant equity interests in most of the foreign companies that set up subsidiaries in the last decade though the companies continue to be run by their existing management teams.
What was surprising for the government is that the Strategic Resource Defence Reserve although activated has purchased only small quantities of resources as Japan for some unknown reason has decided to increase imports of Australian resources at the expense of the USA.
The first of the RANs’ heavy cruisers has been launched HMAS Sydney when finished fitting out will join HMAS Australia as the nucleus of Australia’s naval fleet. To encourage the shipwrights to continue investing in Australia, the Australian government commissions five further heavy cruisers and a further ten destroyers.
BHP seeing the need for more control over the delivery of its resources commission a number of bulk carriers to transport these minerals to it’s clients.

1931: BHP in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell discovers the Bass Strait oil fields.
After lengthy discussions between the government and BHP / Royal Dutch Shell ownership of the oil belongs to the government with the consortium being paid 3% of the income from the fields to develop and manage the find.
The Fokker Aircraft Company in cooperation with Rolls – Royce have developed a new aircraft. The new all metal fighter / Spotter plane makes use of the new Rolls-Royce Merlin engine using conventional aviation gasoline. Designed as an all purposes airframe the Fokker FA-1 will be capable of ground attack as well as fighter duties. Both the army and airforce are very impressed and order five each to test.
In foreign developments Japan invades Manchuria in China. All the countries of the world object to the invasion but other than that do nothing.
New Zealand is suffering badly from the depression and they approach Australia for assistance as Great Britain has already refused due to their own problems. The negotiations take months yet by November both countries have enacted laws creating
the ANZEZ (Australia New Zealand Economic Zone) alliance. The basis for this agreement is for total free trade between the two countries with no tariffs or limits on the amount of goods the can be traded between the two countries. There is one problem for New Zealand however, Australia insisted on the metric system of measurements and a joint currency based on the current value of the Australian Pound. New Zealand knowing that Australia would walk on the agreement if it refused accepts both proposals. So as of the 1 January 1932 the Shell will become the standard currency between the two states. The Shell will be based on the decimal system with one Shell equalling 100 grains. The short-term effect on New Zealand will be severe, as many people will lose up to 50% of their savings. On the bright side is that there will be no restrictions on New Zealanders working and living in Australia and the New Zealand banks won’t have to convert currency between the two neighbours. The metric system will be the standard used however both countries will have a phase in time where both the old and new measurement systems will be displayed on all goods and services.

1932: The new currency for Australia and New Zealand have been well received especially by the migrants of Australia who had difficulty with the old monetary system.
The metric system caused confusion in both countries for the existing citizens this was however alleviated in Australia by the fact the new migrants now outnumber native born Australians.
The population in Australia continues to grow and has now reached 13 million thanks to a flood of unemployed Europeans caused by the depression over the last two years.
Concerned by the actions of Japan the Australian government signs a deal with Mercedes - Benz and GMH to build six hundred motorised fighting vehicles. At the same time Krupp is commissioned to build 300 pieces of towed 8 inch or 203-millimetre artillery.
The Army is instructed to begin National Service of all male eighteen-year-old citizens. This national service will last for two years or if Australia gets involved in a war until its end.

1933; The naval base in Darwin is complete and has been acting as a supply base for the Dutch. With growing concerns about Japanese intentions in the Asia-Pacific rim the Australian government starts construction on a major airforce base on the other side of Darwin close to where the newly completed north – south railway runs.
At the same time the RAAF gets permission to begin production of the Fokker FA-1. The initial contract is for 300 aircraft.
The RAN thinking that it is better to be hung for a sheep than a lamb asks for and gets permission to build a further 15 heavy cruisers and ten destroyers.
This massive build up will wipe out the entire Australian trade surplus plus most of its gold reserve. Concerned on the effect this will have on the economy the Prime Minister instructs the Foreign Affairs Minister to approached all the world’s governments to try to open new or enhance existing trade agreements.
On the International scene the NAZI party of Germany wins the election and Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany.
In the USA Roosevelt has just got his new deal passed and hopes this will help bring America out of the depression.
England while unhappy with Australia over its refusal to act like a good little dominion is looking to increase it’s own fleet and is considering getting Australia to build some ships while claiming that the ships are not in fact theirs until after the Washington Treaty expires.

1934: The Australian Foreign Affairs Minister has spent the last year travelling from country to country negotiating new or improved trade agreements.
The English have asked Australia to build several battleships under the table for them.
The Germans having heard from their Australian relatives what England has done, does the same. All these ships will be built at the naval yards in Perth well way from the prying eyes of the US and Japanese embassies on the East Coast.
America declined the invitation for increased trade.
Italy needing greater access to resources for their military build up also signs a large comprehensive trade agreement with Australia.
Japan on hearing the proposal jumped at the opportunity and doubled their imports asking also to purchase some of the robust trucks that the RAA has started using.
The Kuomintang government of Chiang Kaishek, having also noted the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and even more concerned than Australia about the Japanese intentions. They sign a massive trade deal with Australia. This deal is very valuable to Australia as it enables them to off load all their old Fokker D-VII as well as selling thousands of weapons, explosives and other materials needed to fight a war.

Syphon said:

I deliberately called them heavy cruisers in line with how the German battlecruisers were redesignated heavy cruisers later in WW2 when America built their large cruisers ie the Alaska class. My intention was to have ships that could be depolyed to local areas to deal with any raiders and small fleets without avation ships.

As I'm still writing and revising this TL I would like you input as to whether I have gone overboad with my numbers. Please take into account however that Australia is industrilised to a much greater degree and its population is growing rapidly and as such has port facilities in every major city.

david

Click to expand...

Well regardless what the RAN wants to call these cruisers, everyone else is going to call them battlecruisers because by 1927 standards that's what they are. But, as you've asked for technical things too, a 12 000 ton ship in 1927 armed with 8 12 inch guns in twin turrets isn't possible. I say this because, Graf Spee, for example, had 6 11 inch guns fitted into two turrets & was about 16 000 tons. Furthermore, especially from an Australian experience, HMAS Australia, which was armed with 8 12 inch guns etc, was about 19 000 tons.

The only other thing I can think of is the population level. In OTL we had about 5 million people during WWI. So it's going to be real tricky getting to 10 million people by 1926. You'll have to, as a result, increase the immigration numbers which you've currently mentioned is 250 000 a year. This, then gets even tricker as you'll have to build homes etc like crazy which may not be able to take place as there won't be enough builders around. This then hits the industrial workers not to mention the government's budget for the military sector. Maybe lower the 10 million to say 7.5 million is a way out.

Yeah i too was thinking that the population seemed a bit much, i see you haven't built a dam yet either, which is strange as it would be a simple way of providing all the water that all these people need.

Critique of Part Three

Again, like the earlier parts, I think it's very good & I like it a lot.

Just three things: The population level, as I mentioned before, is too high I think. 13 million is too high, considering what I said earlier, so I think 10 million is more likely by 1932 (maybe 11 million at a stretch).

The second thing is, why would Australia build secret battleships for anyone especially the Germans? If, as you say Australia is becoming concerned about what's happening in the world, surely building battleships in secret for Nazi Germany isn't going to happen. I'd dare say that we'd even think twice about the British request, especially if this AH Australia is determind to be independent from everyone.

Lastly, & this is something to consider more than anything, but why isn't Australia building any aircraft carriers when everyone else, with a powerful fleet, is? Clearly, the RN, USN & the IJN are viewing the carrier as an important naval asset. If this is indeed the case, I would have thought that this AH Australia would be thinking exactly the same thing.

What kined of BBs are RN looking at in your atl time line syphon and why is there no Battleships or carriers been built for the RAN in your time line .

DMA said:

Well regardless what the RAN wants to call these cruisers, everyone else is going to call them battlecruisers because by 1927 standards that's what they are. But, as you've asked for technical things too, a 12 000 ton ship in 1927 armed with 8 12 inch guns in twin turrets isn't possible. I say this because, Graf Spee, for example, had 6 11 inch guns fitted into two turrets & was about 16 000 tons. Furthermore, especially from an Australian experience, HMAS Australia, which was armed with 8 12 inch guns etc, was about 19 000 tons.

Thanks for some unknown reason I got it in my head that the Australia was smaller than this. I'll amend the tonnage and reduce the numbers.

The only other thing I can think of is the population level. In OTL we had about 5 million people during WWI. So it's going to be real tricky getting to 10 million people by 1926. You'll have to, as a result, increase the immigration numbers which you've currently mentioned is 250 000 a year. This, then gets even tricker as you'll have to build homes etc like crazy which may not be able to take place as there won't be enough builders around. This then hits the industrial workers not to mention the government's budget for the military sector. Maybe lower the 10 million to say 7.5 million is a way out.

Click to expand...

I think I'll leave the immigration along as Australia in this TL needs to greatly increase it's population. To compensate I think I'll decrease the military in the early years and have a construction boom Australia wide.

Michael said:

Yeah i too was thinking that the population seemed a bit much, i see you haven't built a dam yet either, which is strange as it would be a simple way of providing all the water that all these people need.

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Good point about the water Michael. Obviously schemes like the Warragamba Dam are going to be required, but much earlier if we're talking the population levels that we are. I did an Australian AH, with a POD based in the early 1790s, & a large population soon became a problem water wise. So in the 1920s the population hit 30 million or so. Needless to say, water was a problem as we don't have a lot to go around for even the current population level of 20 million. About the only way I saw around it was bringing the Snowy Mountains Scheme forward much earlier & using the water for drinking as much as for irrigation. May I dare suggest to David that the same thing would have to be done as the population passes 20 million or so (something to think about for part 6 or 7 maybe?).

DMA said:

This is a rather good AH so far, & being an Australian, I like the fact that Australia becomes more independent & is prepared to do so.

There's one major problem I see with this AH, however, & that's all the German companies that are setting up shop so soon after WW1. As is written in the first paragraph, Australia has lost a lot of her sons in the Great War. Many of these were lost to Germans. So unless Australia goes through mass amnesia, I don't see awarding German companies, as described as such in the AH, as going down too well with the electorate. And considering we're talking a Billy Hughes government at this point, he needs all the support he can get after betraying the Labor Party like he did.

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May I suggest a switch: why not American businesses in place of German ones? America has a booming economy at the time and Australia is a friendly nation associated with a close ally and the two countries share a common language and similar temperments, culturally. You might also attract some of the population influx that the US experienced in the 1930s. The US becomes a stopping off point as US firms route immigrant labor to their new AZ subsidiaries.

david3565 said:

May I suggest a switch: why not American businesses in place of German ones? America has a booming economy at the time and Australia is a friendly nation associated with a close ally and the two countries share a common language and similar temperments, culturally. You might also attract some of the population influx that the US experienced in the 1930s. The US becomes a stopping off point as US firms route immigrant labor to their new AZ subsidiaries.

Click to expand...

Well I'm not the one writing this AH - it's Syphon. Nonetheless you raise some interesting points.

Ironically enough, in an Australian AH I did I had the Loyalists outcasts from the Revolutionary War & a large number of Southerners refugees from the USCW migrate to Australia in the aftermath of their respective wars. As a result, Australia has a higher population much earlier as well as important input into the agricultural & industrial sectors of the country. Thus Australia is a very different country by the Great War in 1914.

Yeah it is strange how many people forget about water here in Australia. Maybe you should have this become a concern in your story Syphon? Or have i missed the bit where it was remedied?

Now the offtopic bit: Did you write that new britannia story DMA? Ever going to finish it?