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If we’re talking about the evolution of the Victorian Parliamentary system, I think
it’s useful to divide that up into four distinct stages.
The first stage is before we had a parliament, so between 1836 and 1851, the area we now
call Victoria was a squatting district of New South Wales. It was known as the Port
Phillip District of New South Wales and it was governed entirely from Sydney. Revenue
raised in the area was spent elsewhere in New South Wales, we had very poor levels of
representation, it was really very inadequate. So that right through the 1840s there are
calls for independence and separation from New South Wales. That eventually takes place
on 1st July 1851, so that brings to an end our first era.