Australian regional rivalries
Encyclopedia
Australian regional rivalries refers to the rivalries between Australia
n cities or regions.
and Melbourne
, the two largest cities in Australia. The rivalry between the cities was the reason that neither Sydney (the oldest city) nor Melbourne (the largest city at the time) was chosen as the capital of Australia when the nation was federated
in 1901. Because of this disagreement, section 125 of the Australian Constitution specified that Melbourne would initially serve as the capital on a temporary basis, while the permanent capital of the new Commonwealth must be north of the Murray River
(placing it in New South Wales rather than Victoria) but at least 100 miles from Sydney. This city became Canberra
. Melbourne operated as the capital city from 1901 until 1927, when Canberra's Parliament House was opened. Various Commonwealth governmental bodies continued to operate principally from Melbourne or Sydney after 1927. Most civil service departments were moved to Canberra in the 1950s, and the High Court of Australia
was finally moved from Melbourne to Canberra in 1980.
Rivalry and differences between the colonies was a feature of life in Pre-Federation Australia. There was a real rivalry between the most powerful colonies, New South Wales
and Victoria
, on trade matters. As the two largest colonies both the states believed that the new nation should follow their trade model. New South Wales had a policy of free trade
where all goods coming that came into the state were not tariffed. Victoria had an opposite policy of protectionism
with tariff
s imposed on goods coming into the state from other colonies. This rivalry delayed the process of federation
; eventually the two colonies agreed that trade between the colonies would be tariff free, but tariffs would be placed on goods from overseas (excluding the British Empire
).
Rugby league
(NRL
) in Australia is traditionally based in Sydney, while Australian rules football
(AFL
) was invented and is traditionally based in Melbourne. While both sports have extended their popularity beyond their own state, the historic and spiritual centre of both sports has remained in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, and neither city has been quick to embrace the other city's dominant football code. This cultural divide is represented by the Barassi Line
. There is also an increasingly spiteful rivalry between Sydney's sole A-League
representative, Sydney FC
, and Melbourne Victory FC. Finally, there is also an increasing rivalry between the ANZ Championship
netball teams the New South Wales Swifts
(previously Sydney Swifts
) and Melbourne Vixens
(previously Melbourne Phoenix
). Also, there's a rivalry between the Sydney Kings and the Melbourne Tigers in Basketball (NBL).
Sydney, with a population of 4.4 million, is the largest city in Australia, and has been named the world's best city eight consecutive times by Condé Nast Traveler
. Melbourne is the second largest city with a population of 4 million and has been named the worlds most liveable city twice now and still features in the top 3, and is often regarded as the fashion, arts
, cultural and sport
ing capital of Australia. On the other hand, Sydney may be called the finance and media capital. While Melbourne has recently overtaken Sydney in terms of domestic tourism income, Sydney still remains the leading tourism destination for international tourists.
Although founded 47 years after Sydney, Melbourne transformed rapidly, and thanks to the Victorian gold rush
in the 1850s, Melbourne became Australia's largest and most important city by 1865. This golden age, referred to as 'Marvellous Melbourne' was crushed by the banking collapse and depression of the 1890s, and Sydney overtook Melbourne as the largest Australian city in the early 20th century. Sydney is currently the largest and most populous city in Australia, however Sydney's growth has been deliberately curtailed by policies of the New South Wales government, including restrictions on land release for housing. If current trends continue Melbourne will again become the most populous city in Australia by 2038.
is distant from the main population and political centres of southern Australia
, namely Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra
. At the same time it has long contributed a significant proportion of Australia's most lucrative export commodities, such as coal
, beef
and sugar
. The disparity between Queensland's economic contribution and political influence has long caused tension. The relationship is complicated by the migration since the 1970s of many people from the southern states, who are both welcomed for the economic benefits they bring, and occasionally disparaged as "Mexicans" because they come from "south of the border". This sentiment was epitomised by Joh Bjelke-Petersen
's parochialism and frequent promotion of the idea of secession
of Queensland from Australia during his term as premier.
People from the southern states sometimes refer to Queensland as "The Deep North", in allusion to the Deep South
of the United States
and the socio-political stereotype associated with it. This was notably the case during the 1970s and early 1980s, when Joh Bjelke-Petersen
was Premier, and again in the 1990s, when Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party from Queensland became a significant force in Australian politics.
New South Wales typically objects to the fact that tax from the state is used to subsidise tax in Queensland.
This rivalry has been played out through sport over the years. In Queensland there has been a general ill-feeling over the number of sports people leaving their home state for New South Wales, particularly rugby league
football players who left to play for the richer Sydney clubs. These players would then play against Queensland in interstate matches. In 1980, as a solution to this problem, the Rugby League State of Origin
was created to allow Queensland players to play for their original state. This sporting contest played three times a year now exemplifies this rivalry, dominating the media and public attention in those two states during the series.
Also this rivalry has a political component, with Queensland traditionally tending to state-centered conservatism and populist left politics, while New South Wales traditionally tending to classical-liberal conservatism, modern (small-l) liberal centrism, and social democratic left politics. However, in recent years, third-way centrism has taken root in both states.
has the largest land area of any state of Australia, is the least densely populated and the furthest removed from the Eastern States
centres of population and from the Federal Government's home in the Australian Capital Territory
. The state has the fourth largest population of the Australian States and Territories with 9.8% of the national total, and about one-third the population of Victoria and New South Wales. Some Western Australian towns are located closer to its South East Asian neighbours to the North than to cities interstate; the capital Perth is closer to Jakarta than Sydney. At the same time, it has abundant natural resources and primary industries that contribute a significant part of Australia's economy, particularly in the mining sector. As at June 2006 it contributed 11.7% of the Gross State Product
. There is a belief that too much of the wealth of Western Australia is lost to the federal system and redistributed among the Eastern States. Only 6% of the total goods and services tax (GST) allocations to the states and territories is distributed to Western Australia.
Some Western Australians consider their state to be a "forgotten" state. Often sporting and concert events bypass the state for financial reasons because of its isolation. Western Australians have long complained of being ignored and / or taken advantage of by the other States and the Commonwealth over political and economical issues. In regards to sport, most animosity is directed to Victoria, whose more powerful Australian Football league evolved into a pseudo-national league at the detriment to the WAFL and South Australia's SANFL. It was Western Australia who came up with the State of Origin football concept that was so successful in the 1980s and continues to be in the Rugby League version.
Western Australia is the most successful cricketing state behind New South Wales yet the State team only debuted in the interstate Sheffield Shield in 1947, 55 years after the other colonies started. W.A. was only allowed to enter the competition after agreeing to pay the other states. Ill feeling because of the unfair financial burden was somewhat soothed by W.A. winning the Shield in their first season. Such unfair financial conditions were also put onto the ill-conceived Western Reds in the Australian Rugby League
. The club was forced to pay for the accommodation and airfares of visiting teams along with their own when they were the greatest travelling club in the league. Though the club performed solidly on the field, financial conditions caused it to fold at the end of 1997. The club's licence and the core of the playing group moved to Melbourne where that new club won the premiership in its second season.
Western Australia was the last colony to agree to join the federation
, participating only after pressures by other states. In fact, the state is not mentioned in the preamble to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (1900) as its support was given too late for the document to be redrafted. On several occasions, secession
ism has been seriously proposed and was even formally pursued in a 1933 referendum
which received 68% popular support, but to no effect due to the unwillingness of the British parliament to overturn the legislation enabling the formation of the Federation of Australia
.
region of New South Wales lies only a short distance south of Sydney; however, the socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds of its citizens has allowed for the development of bitter rivalries between the Illawarra and Sydney, the Illawarra and Newcastle, and the Illawarra and Far South Coast.
The Illawarra vs. Sydney Rivalry is founded in historical, political and, for many, personal aspects. The Illawarra northern suburbs centred on Thirroul and Corrimal have seen drastic development resulting from overpopulation in the Sydney Cumberland Basin with many local residents upset about being encroached upon by the metropolis. This same reason was one of the reasons for the 1885 Charcoal Creek riots (now Unanderra), when 18 homes built by migrants from Sydney were demolished and razed by angry Illawarrian farmers who claimed they were built illegally by "ignorant city siders who don't know our country." The desire of Illawarrians to show differences between themselves and Sydneysiders has shown itself many times. In the early days of the Iraq War, Wollongong Lord Mayor Alex Darling led a delegation to the Consul General of France asking them to accept Wollongong's defection to France in protest at Sydney (and Canberra's) stance.
In 1915, when the Commonwealth was looking for a port for Canberra, the Illawarra shires unanimously volunteered to become part of the territory, however the state government in Sydney refused to allow it because it would be too close to Sydney's ports and far too competitive. Jervis Bay
was eventually made the site, however territorial separatism is still felt in the region today. Illawarra politicians are often very supportive of new states movements elsewhere in the state, including
New England (Australia)
, Riverina
and Bogong
states movements, however no current Illwarra new state movement is known to exist at the moment.
The Newcastle vs. Wollongong rivalries exist mostly because of the history each city has as being a steel town for BHP
, because of the Macedonian population of Wollongong, their sporting team rivalries, and their equidistance from Sydney.
. The very first interstate match
was held between the two states in 1879. "Kick a Vic" became the later South Australian catchcry in State of Origin
football. South Australians became bitter when the AFL canned the State of Origin series, which has increased with the reluctance to allow South Australia to once again compete. There are even some South Australians who dispute the Victorian origin of Australian Rules and claim that the game is a South Australian invention, pointing to an earliest recorded football match which was played in South Australia in 1840, nearly two decades before the first rules of the game were written, although historians later argued that this early match was instead the Irish game of caid
. Nevertheless, Australian rules in South Australia was the first to form a true governing body and the SANFL remains the oldest league in the game (founded as the SAFA just over two weeks before the VFA
in early 1877). Many SANFL supporters resent the expansion of the VFL to become the Australian Football League
, and in particular, the poaching of players from South Australia before the first teams from Adelaide
were admitted into the competition Many South Australian supporters also resent the Melbourne based AFL for not recognising its history and low representation in the official Australian Football Hall of Fame. Port Adelaide Football Club
's bid to defect to the AFL in 1991 was seen as a major scandal and an act of betrayal by South Australians. Many of the club's supporters resent being forced to drop its jumper design and record number of premierships to change leagues upon its final admission in 1997.
Another source of this rivalry goes back to how these states were settled. Neither state was formed as a penal colony however South Australia was self governing (as opposed to a crown-colony). South Australia received many of its settlers from Germany and Austria and German was the de facto second language in South Australia until the First World War. Victoria, on the other hand, was unilingually English speaking from settlement and had most of its early non-British settlement from Ireland. South Australia is also the only state to be a "convict free' society, seeing as that South Australia was settled by free settlers, while the other states and territories where settled because of the over-crowding of jails on England, so the other states and territories are classified as "convict" settlements.
After 11 years of the Australian Grand Prix
in Adelaide
, new Victorian premier Jeff Kennett
poached the event and moved it to Melbourne in 1996, a move which many South Australians saw as arrogant.
A strong rivalry between the two cities exists in the A-League
between Adelaide United FC
and the Melbourne Victory
.
For many years, Adelaide was the only capital city outside of Melbourne to retain a working part of its original tram
way. The appearance of the city's flat terrain, planned street and trams sees many visitors to draw comparisons between Adelaide and Melbourne. As a result, Adelaide is often described derisively by Victorians as "Melbourne's smaller cousin".
In 2008, Victorian premier John Brumby
reignited the regional rivalry when he described Adelaide as a "backwater", earning scorn from South Australian premier Mike Rann
.
In March 2009, newly elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle
created controversy when he publicly stated that "Adelaide has so little going for it that it should be shut down". Mike Rann replied that Doyle was a "failed opposition leader" who got a "second prize". In response, Doyle commented that he was "surprised to learn that Adelaide had television
".
and Brisbane (or South East Queensland). This is partially because the distance between them, which is similar to the distance between Brisbane and other state capitals. There has been continuing proposals in the past for a separate North Queensland state. Rugby league games between the North Queensland Cowboys
and Brisbane Broncos
attract large crowds.
Cairns is considered the aviation, agricultural & tourism hub of North Queensland whilst Townsville the administrative, financial and industrial hub.
James Cook University
of North Queensland operates dual campuses in Cairns & Townsville.
Generally anything from political promises to planned developments trigger the Cairns-Townsville rivalry which can get pretty heated at times with both mayors more than likely accusing each city of government favouritism.
The Cairns Taipans vs. Townsville Crocs basketball games is one of the most popular in the National Basketball league. Both venues (Cairns Convention Center & Townsville Entertainment Center) usually attract a sell-out crowd with the home crowds taunting and booing the visiting team and their supporters.
Townsville is also home to two national sports teams representing all of North Queensland: North Queensland Cowboys and . Because of the inter-city rivalry it generally takes longer for these teams to win the hearts and minds of Cairns supporters.
. Throughout the 19th Century and 20th Century the two cities have been of almost identical size in terms of population and inland regional centres and defacto capitals of the Goldfields region of Victoria
. Ballarat has remained slightly ahead in population terms, although growth rates between the two cities have fluctuated.
The figure of the local government area
of the City of Greater Bendigo
(which includes nearby towns) is larger and is often cited by Bendigonians in favour of Bendigo. Bendigo remains the larger financial centre and Bendigonians also claim the warmer climate. Bendigo also claimed superior gold production. In fact gold continued to be mined in Bendigo as recently as 2007 making it the largest continuous gold producing city in Australia. Both Ballarat and Bendigo have used their history and architectural heritage as major tourist drawcards and directly vie for the tourist dollar.
The modern Ballarat vs. Bendigo rivalry extends to sport with Australian rules and basketball teams from each town having notable contests drawing interest from the media and spectators.
that make Latrobe City go back to 1880s, particularly between similarly sized Morwell
and Traralgon
and to a lesser extent Moe
. Latrobe City is a fairly rare case of an urban area formed incrementally from multiple similarly sized cities without a single central core. Both Morwell and Traralgon continue to claim the civic centre and most dominant in the region and the municipality City of Latrobe was partly formed to settle rivalries between the cities. This rivalry extends to sports, particularly local Australian rules football matches and also soccer.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cities or regions.
Sydney - Melbourne rivalry
There has been a long standing rivalry between the cities of SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, the two largest cities in Australia. The rivalry between the cities was the reason that neither Sydney (the oldest city) nor Melbourne (the largest city at the time) was chosen as the capital of Australia when the nation was federated
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
in 1901. Because of this disagreement, section 125 of the Australian Constitution specified that Melbourne would initially serve as the capital on a temporary basis, while the permanent capital of the new Commonwealth must be north of the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
(placing it in New South Wales rather than Victoria) but at least 100 miles from Sydney. This city became Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. Melbourne operated as the capital city from 1901 until 1927, when Canberra's Parliament House was opened. Various Commonwealth governmental bodies continued to operate principally from Melbourne or Sydney after 1927. Most civil service departments were moved to Canberra in the 1950s, and the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
was finally moved from Melbourne to Canberra in 1980.
Rivalry and differences between the colonies was a feature of life in Pre-Federation Australia. There was a real rivalry between the most powerful colonies, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, on trade matters. As the two largest colonies both the states believed that the new nation should follow their trade model. New South Wales had a policy of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
where all goods coming that came into the state were not tariffed. Victoria had an opposite policy of protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
with tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s imposed on goods coming into the state from other colonies. This rivalry delayed the process of federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
; eventually the two colonies agreed that trade between the colonies would be tariff free, but tariffs would be placed on goods from overseas (excluding the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
).
Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
(NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
) in Australia is traditionally based in Sydney, while Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
(AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
) was invented and is traditionally based in Melbourne. While both sports have extended their popularity beyond their own state, the historic and spiritual centre of both sports has remained in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, and neither city has been quick to embrace the other city's dominant football code. This cultural divide is represented by the Barassi Line
Barassi Line
The Barassi Line was first suggested by Professor Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture to refer to a dividing line in Australia that divides areas where Australian rules is the dominant winter code of football from those where rugby football codes are most popular...
. There is also an increasingly spiteful rivalry between Sydney's sole A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
representative, Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
, and Melbourne Victory FC. Finally, there is also an increasing rivalry between the ANZ Championship
ANZ Championship
The ANZ Championship is the pre-eminent netball league in the world. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested by ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand...
netball teams the New South Wales Swifts
New South Wales Swifts
The New South Wales Swifts are an Australian netball team based in Sydney that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Swifts were formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of two teams from the Commonwealth Bank Trophy – the Sydney Swifts and the Hunter Jaegers...
(previously Sydney Swifts
Sydney Swifts
The Sydney Swifts were an Australian netball team, playing in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy. They were based out of Acer Arena and Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre in the suburb of Homebush. Following the 2003 demise of the Sydney Sandpipers, the Swifts were the only team representing the...
) and Melbourne Vixens
Melbourne Vixens
The Melbourne Vixens are an Australian netball team in Melbourne that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The team were formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of the Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels from the previous Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Sharelle McMahon and Bianca Chatfield have...
(previously Melbourne Phoenix
Melbourne Phoenix
The Melbourne Phoenix were an Australian netball team. They were one of two teams representing the city of Melbourne, Victoria in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy. They have been replaced by the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship...
). Also, there's a rivalry between the Sydney Kings and the Melbourne Tigers in Basketball (NBL).
Sydney, with a population of 4.4 million, is the largest city in Australia, and has been named the world's best city eight consecutive times by Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...
. Melbourne is the second largest city with a population of 4 million and has been named the worlds most liveable city twice now and still features in the top 3, and is often regarded as the fashion, arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, cultural and sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing capital of Australia. On the other hand, Sydney may be called the finance and media capital. While Melbourne has recently overtaken Sydney in terms of domestic tourism income, Sydney still remains the leading tourism destination for international tourists.
Although founded 47 years after Sydney, Melbourne transformed rapidly, and thanks to the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
in the 1850s, Melbourne became Australia's largest and most important city by 1865. This golden age, referred to as 'Marvellous Melbourne' was crushed by the banking collapse and depression of the 1890s, and Sydney overtook Melbourne as the largest Australian city in the early 20th century. Sydney is currently the largest and most populous city in Australia, however Sydney's growth has been deliberately curtailed by policies of the New South Wales government, including restrictions on land release for housing. If current trends continue Melbourne will again become the most populous city in Australia by 2038.
Queensland and southern states
QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
is distant from the main population and political centres of southern Australia
Southern Australia
The term southern Australia is generally considered to include the States and territories of Australia of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory...
, namely Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. At the same time it has long contributed a significant proportion of Australia's most lucrative export commodities, such as coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
and sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
. The disparity between Queensland's economic contribution and political influence has long caused tension. The relationship is complicated by the migration since the 1970s of many people from the southern states, who are both welcomed for the economic benefits they bring, and occasionally disparaged as "Mexicans" because they come from "south of the border". This sentiment was epitomised by Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
's parochialism and frequent promotion of the idea of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of Queensland from Australia during his term as premier.
People from the southern states sometimes refer to Queensland as "The Deep North", in allusion to the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the socio-political stereotype associated with it. This was notably the case during the 1970s and early 1980s, when Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
was Premier, and again in the 1990s, when Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party from Queensland became a significant force in Australian politics.
New South Wales vs Queensland
The rivalry between the states of New South Wales and Queensland goes back over 100 years, stemming from the attitude that New South Wales was the "Mother Colony" while Queensland was viewed as a poorer cousin.New South Wales typically objects to the fact that tax from the state is used to subsidise tax in Queensland.
This rivalry has been played out through sport over the years. In Queensland there has been a general ill-feeling over the number of sports people leaving their home state for New South Wales, particularly rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
football players who left to play for the richer Sydney clubs. These players would then play against Queensland in interstate matches. In 1980, as a solution to this problem, the Rugby League State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
was created to allow Queensland players to play for their original state. This sporting contest played three times a year now exemplifies this rivalry, dominating the media and public attention in those two states during the series.
Also this rivalry has a political component, with Queensland traditionally tending to state-centered conservatism and populist left politics, while New South Wales traditionally tending to classical-liberal conservatism, modern (small-l) liberal centrism, and social democratic left politics. However, in recent years, third-way centrism has taken root in both states.
Western Australia and other states
Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
has the largest land area of any state of Australia, is the least densely populated and the furthest removed from the Eastern States
Eastern states of Australia
In Australia, the term eastern states refers to the states adjoining the east coast of Australia. These are the mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory, while not states, are also included. The term usually includes the...
centres of population and from the Federal Government's home in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. The state has the fourth largest population of the Australian States and Territories with 9.8% of the national total, and about one-third the population of Victoria and New South Wales. Some Western Australian towns are located closer to its South East Asian neighbours to the North than to cities interstate; the capital Perth is closer to Jakarta than Sydney. At the same time, it has abundant natural resources and primary industries that contribute a significant part of Australia's economy, particularly in the mining sector. As at June 2006 it contributed 11.7% of the Gross State Product
Gross state product
Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province...
. There is a belief that too much of the wealth of Western Australia is lost to the federal system and redistributed among the Eastern States. Only 6% of the total goods and services tax (GST) allocations to the states and territories is distributed to Western Australia.
Some Western Australians consider their state to be a "forgotten" state. Often sporting and concert events bypass the state for financial reasons because of its isolation. Western Australians have long complained of being ignored and / or taken advantage of by the other States and the Commonwealth over political and economical issues. In regards to sport, most animosity is directed to Victoria, whose more powerful Australian Football league evolved into a pseudo-national league at the detriment to the WAFL and South Australia's SANFL. It was Western Australia who came up with the State of Origin football concept that was so successful in the 1980s and continues to be in the Rugby League version.
Western Australia is the most successful cricketing state behind New South Wales yet the State team only debuted in the interstate Sheffield Shield in 1947, 55 years after the other colonies started. W.A. was only allowed to enter the competition after agreeing to pay the other states. Ill feeling because of the unfair financial burden was somewhat soothed by W.A. winning the Shield in their first season. Such unfair financial conditions were also put onto the ill-conceived Western Reds in the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
. The club was forced to pay for the accommodation and airfares of visiting teams along with their own when they were the greatest travelling club in the league. Though the club performed solidly on the field, financial conditions caused it to fold at the end of 1997. The club's licence and the core of the playing group moved to Melbourne where that new club won the premiership in its second season.
Western Australia was the last colony to agree to join the federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, participating only after pressures by other states. In fact, the state is not mentioned in the preamble to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (1900) as its support was given too late for the document to be redrafted. On several occasions, secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ism has been seriously proposed and was even formally pursued in a 1933 referendum
Secessionism in Western Australia
Secessionism has been a recurring feature of Western Australia's political landscape since shortly after European settlement in 1829. The idea of self governance or secession has often been discussed through local newspaper articles and editorials and on a number of occasions has surfaced as very...
which received 68% popular support, but to no effect due to the unwillingness of the British parliament to overturn the legislation enabling the formation of the Federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
.
Illawarra and other parts of New South Wales
The IllawarraIllawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
region of New South Wales lies only a short distance south of Sydney; however, the socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds of its citizens has allowed for the development of bitter rivalries between the Illawarra and Sydney, the Illawarra and Newcastle, and the Illawarra and Far South Coast.
The Illawarra vs. Sydney Rivalry is founded in historical, political and, for many, personal aspects. The Illawarra northern suburbs centred on Thirroul and Corrimal have seen drastic development resulting from overpopulation in the Sydney Cumberland Basin with many local residents upset about being encroached upon by the metropolis. This same reason was one of the reasons for the 1885 Charcoal Creek riots (now Unanderra), when 18 homes built by migrants from Sydney were demolished and razed by angry Illawarrian farmers who claimed they were built illegally by "ignorant city siders who don't know our country." The desire of Illawarrians to show differences between themselves and Sydneysiders has shown itself many times. In the early days of the Iraq War, Wollongong Lord Mayor Alex Darling led a delegation to the Consul General of France asking them to accept Wollongong's defection to France in protest at Sydney (and Canberra's) stance.
In 1915, when the Commonwealth was looking for a port for Canberra, the Illawarra shires unanimously volunteered to become part of the territory, however the state government in Sydney refused to allow it because it would be too close to Sydney's ports and far too competitive. Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
was eventually made the site, however territorial separatism is still felt in the region today. Illawarra politicians are often very supportive of new states movements elsewhere in the state, including
New England (Australia)
New England (Australia)
New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...
, Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
and Bogong
Bogong High Plains
The Bogong High Plains are a section of the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong. This area forms part of Australia's Great Dividing Range and in winter is one of the largest snow covered areas in the country. It can be easily accessed from...
states movements, however no current Illwarra new state movement is known to exist at the moment.
The Newcastle vs. Wollongong rivalries exist mostly because of the history each city has as being a steel town for BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, because of the Macedonian population of Wollongong, their sporting team rivalries, and their equidistance from Sydney.
South Australia and Victoria
Much of the rivalry is played out in sport, and primarily Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. The very first interstate match
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
was held between the two states in 1879. "Kick a Vic" became the later South Australian catchcry in State of Origin
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
football. South Australians became bitter when the AFL canned the State of Origin series, which has increased with the reluctance to allow South Australia to once again compete. There are even some South Australians who dispute the Victorian origin of Australian Rules and claim that the game is a South Australian invention, pointing to an earliest recorded football match which was played in South Australia in 1840, nearly two decades before the first rules of the game were written, although historians later argued that this early match was instead the Irish game of caid
Caid (sport)
Caid is the name given to various ancient and traditional Irish football games. "Caid" is now used by people in some parts of Ireland to refer to modern Gaelic football.The word caid originally referred to the ball which was used...
. Nevertheless, Australian rules in South Australia was the first to form a true governing body and the SANFL remains the oldest league in the game (founded as the SAFA just over two weeks before the VFA
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
in early 1877). Many SANFL supporters resent the expansion of the VFL to become the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, and in particular, the poaching of players from South Australia before the first teams from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
were admitted into the competition Many South Australian supporters also resent the Melbourne based AFL for not recognising its history and low representation in the official Australian Football Hall of Fame. Port Adelaide Football Club
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
's bid to defect to the AFL in 1991 was seen as a major scandal and an act of betrayal by South Australians. Many of the club's supporters resent being forced to drop its jumper design and record number of premierships to change leagues upon its final admission in 1997.
Another source of this rivalry goes back to how these states were settled. Neither state was formed as a penal colony however South Australia was self governing (as opposed to a crown-colony). South Australia received many of its settlers from Germany and Austria and German was the de facto second language in South Australia until the First World War. Victoria, on the other hand, was unilingually English speaking from settlement and had most of its early non-British settlement from Ireland. South Australia is also the only state to be a "convict free' society, seeing as that South Australia was settled by free settlers, while the other states and territories where settled because of the over-crowding of jails on England, so the other states and territories are classified as "convict" settlements.
Adelaide vs Melbourne
Within the two states there is also an inter-city rivalry between Adelaide and Melbourne.After 11 years of the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, new Victorian premier Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
poached the event and moved it to Melbourne in 1996, a move which many South Australians saw as arrogant.
A strong rivalry between the two cities exists in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
between Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
and the Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
.
For many years, Adelaide was the only capital city outside of Melbourne to retain a working part of its original tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way. The appearance of the city's flat terrain, planned street and trams sees many visitors to draw comparisons between Adelaide and Melbourne. As a result, Adelaide is often described derisively by Victorians as "Melbourne's smaller cousin".
In 2008, Victorian premier John Brumby
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby , is an Australian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became Premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election...
reignited the regional rivalry when he described Adelaide as a "backwater", earning scorn from South Australian premier Mike Rann
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
.
In March 2009, newly elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle
Robert Doyle
Robert Keith Bennett Doyle is an Australian politician and the 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, elected on 30 November 2008...
created controversy when he publicly stated that "Adelaide has so little going for it that it should be shut down". Mike Rann replied that Doyle was a "failed opposition leader" who got a "second prize". In response, Doyle commented that he was "surprised to learn that Adelaide had television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
".
North Queensland vs South East Queensland
There is a regional rivalry between North QueenslandNorth Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
and Brisbane (or South East Queensland). This is partially because the distance between them, which is similar to the distance between Brisbane and other state capitals. There has been continuing proposals in the past for a separate North Queensland state. Rugby league games between the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
attract large crowds.
Cairns vs Townsville
There has been a long standing rivalry between the North Queensland Cities of Cairns and Townsville. This is partly due to the similar size of the two cities, distance and slightly different local cultures. Both cities have sought to be known as the capital of the region, the major population centre and port.Cairns is considered the aviation, agricultural & tourism hub of North Queensland whilst Townsville the administrative, financial and industrial hub.
James Cook University
James Cook University
James Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
of North Queensland operates dual campuses in Cairns & Townsville.
Generally anything from political promises to planned developments trigger the Cairns-Townsville rivalry which can get pretty heated at times with both mayors more than likely accusing each city of government favouritism.
The Cairns Taipans vs. Townsville Crocs basketball games is one of the most popular in the National Basketball league. Both venues (Cairns Convention Center & Townsville Entertainment Center) usually attract a sell-out crowd with the home crowds taunting and booing the visiting team and their supporters.
Townsville is also home to two national sports teams representing all of North Queensland: North Queensland Cowboys and . Because of the inter-city rivalry it generally takes longer for these teams to win the hearts and minds of Cairns supporters.
Ballarat vs Bendigo
The cities of Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria have an ongoing rivalry which dates back to the Victorian Gold RushVictorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. Throughout the 19th Century and 20th Century the two cities have been of almost identical size in terms of population and inland regional centres and defacto capitals of the Goldfields region of Victoria
Goldfields region of Victoria
The Goldfields region of Victoria is a region commonly used but typically defined in both historical geography and tourism geography .-Description:...
. Ballarat has remained slightly ahead in population terms, although growth rates between the two cities have fluctuated.
The figure of the local government area
Local Government Area
A local government area is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory....
of the City of Greater Bendigo
City of Greater Bendigo
The City of Greater Bendigo is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the central-western part of the state. It has an area of 3,048 square kilometres...
(which includes nearby towns) is larger and is often cited by Bendigonians in favour of Bendigo. Bendigo remains the larger financial centre and Bendigonians also claim the warmer climate. Bendigo also claimed superior gold production. In fact gold continued to be mined in Bendigo as recently as 2007 making it the largest continuous gold producing city in Australia. Both Ballarat and Bendigo have used their history and architectural heritage as major tourist drawcards and directly vie for the tourist dollar.
The modern Ballarat vs. Bendigo rivalry extends to sport with Australian rules and basketball teams from each town having notable contests drawing interest from the media and spectators.
Latrobe Valley
Long standing rivalries between towns and cities in the Latrobe ValleyLatrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...
that make Latrobe City go back to 1880s, particularly between similarly sized Morwell
Morwell, Victoria
-Transport:The main form of transport in Morwell is the automobile. The Princes Freeway now bypasses the town to the south while the old Princes Highway which once passed through east-west through its centre is now Princes Drive and Commercial Road. The highway connects Morwell with other...
and Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
and to a lesser extent Moe
Moe, Victoria
Moe is a city in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is about east of Melbourne and at the 2006 census had a population of 15,582 . It is administered by the City of Latrobe council....
. Latrobe City is a fairly rare case of an urban area formed incrementally from multiple similarly sized cities without a single central core. Both Morwell and Traralgon continue to claim the civic centre and most dominant in the region and the municipality City of Latrobe was partly formed to settle rivalries between the cities. This rivalry extends to sports, particularly local Australian rules football matches and also soccer.