Consequences of a united Oceania?

[Deleted member 200420]

There are fourteen countries in Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru, and Tuvalu. There are nine dependencies or territories: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Wallis & Futuna, Niue, and Tokelau.

• Probably the first thing that needs to happen is that "Australasia" forms in 1901 meaning Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji would be united into one state.
• I think it would be relatively easy to change the status of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau into just being a part of this wider federation rather than being semi-independent to New Zealand like OTL. Other former British pacific territories (Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu, could also probably be integrated.
• Avoiding America Samoa with an alternate Tripartite Convention would mean that American Samoa would be part of this Federation. Or perhaps all the American pacific territories (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa) could be given to Australasia during the Cold War for some reason? Same with the Marshall Islands.
• Nauru, Palau, and Micronesia could be administered following WWII by Australasia and eventually annexed.
• Some alternate British annexation of Tonga could see its monarchy abolished and eventually annexed into the Federation.

The only lands which probably couldn't join the Federation in some alternate timeline is Papua New Guinea and the French territories (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna). Now the barrier to this is the White Australia policy and I am too unfamiliar with the history of it to make any comments.

 

[tonsofun]

I don't have much to add to this. But apparantly, despite the White Australia policy, Papua New Guinea was seen very favourably to Australians due to their support in WW2.
I also made this in thetruesize.com to show what this nation looks like.

 

[The Wooksta!]

Will they be at war with Eastasia? They have always been at war with Eastasia.

I’ll get me coat…

 

[Ophois]

Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia from 1949 to 1975 OTL. It'd be easy to keep it a part of Australasia. Also, if a Franco-British union forms (proposed in WWII OTL) the French territories could be transferred to Australasia for the same reasons as the British territories.

In fact, here's a timeline:
- Britain annexes Tonga in 1900 following the ousting of the pro-British Tongan monarch by a coalition of rival Tongan chieftains and European settlers (this failed OTL).
- Fiji and New Zealand (the latter including the Cook Islands, Tokelau, and Niue) join in Australian Federation in 1901.
- German Samoa is united with British Samoa following WWI.
- Following WWII, Franco-Britain transfers its Pacific colonies to Australasia as part of decolonisation. Palau and Micronesia also fall under Australasian administration.
- Finally, reasoning that Australasia can better defend and administrate the Marianas and the Marshalls against more successful East and Southeast Asian communism, the US transfers them to Australasia.

Edit: Actually I might expand this into a mini-timeline, inspired by @The Wooksta!'s Eastasia comment.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Outside of Australia, there are few to no strategic resources, with the Pacific Islands able to support their own populations up to a certain point, but that’s it. Apart from the particular exigencies of WW2, there is no real strategic value to the South Pacific or Oceania after the development of the wireless.

Such an Oceanian state doesn’t have any common links of purpose, economy or value beyond geographical adjacency. The biggest direct consequence would be a drain on the Australian economy to support the far flung islands.

The Pacific Islands are not likely to go Communist, as their economic, political and social development isn’t really advanced or sophisticated enough to warrant it, in addition to their strong religious faith. In realpolitik terms, they aren’t anywhere important.

 

[JasTysoe]

Consequence 1 - almost no one else ever wins a Rugby World Cup.

Consequence 2 - few other nations get to win a recent sailing Olympic gold medal or America's Cup.

Consequence 3 - United Oceania is so big and powerful that when Princess Mary marries into the Danish royal family, Denmark becomes part of Oceania. Oceania therefore gets to become part of the EU, the Danes get nice warm weather and beaches, and Oceania gets its own royals. Wombats are introduced into Europe and go feral, causing havoc with their tunnels. Australian sharks buy wetsuits and use their EU citizenship to migrate to Europe, causing havoc on the beaches.

Consequence 4 - WW2 isn't changed much because Oceania didn't have the power to stop the Japanese earlier than IOTL.

 

[Deleted member 200420]

Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia from 1949 to 1975 OTL. It'd be easy to keep it a part of Australasia. Also, if a Franco-British union forms (proposed in WWII OTL) the French territories could be transferred to Australasia for the same reasons as the British territories.

- Following WWII, Franco-Britain transfers its Pacific colonies to Australasia as part of decolonisation. Palau and Micronesia also fall under Australasian administration.

I was unsure about Papua New Guinea because surely Australasia would rather get rid of it than keeping it as a territory? It would be an immense money drain and it would never really be an integrated as part of the federation. Especially if West Papua doesn't join Indonesia IOTL which makes it even larger. But, if they do manage to keep Papua New Guinea and perhaps even West Papua does that mean they go after East Timor too?
I didn't know the Franco-British Union was seriously considered--was it not just a far flung out idea after the fall of France? The Franco-British Union was also purely for the duration of the war and wouldn't be a permanent thing so I also don't think the French would take too kindly to losing its Oceanic territories and being treated like a lesser power.