Chapter 215: Chapter 203: Kingdom of Australasia_2

Since the issues had been resolved, Arthur decided not to hesitate any longer and officially began discussions on the establishment of a new kingdom.

Western countries value legality the most, even the once invincible Napoleon had to say he became the Emperor of the French when he was crowned.

As for the traditional European imperial thrones, there were only two: the Holy Roman Empire, inherited from the Western Roman Empire, and the Eastern Roman Empire.

However, since the decline of these two great empires, there have been no shortage of European monarchs claiming various titles and positions.

For example, Queen Victoria called herself Empress of India, the Tsar claimed to have inherited the Eastern Roman legal system, and there was the Austrian Empire established by the Holy Roman Emperor, as well as the German Empire, which rose to power by stepping on the French.

As we can see, although legality is important in the current European system, power can also override legality.

Nevertheless, proper reasoning still needs to be provided. After all, establishing a new kingdom requires a public announcement, and there ought to be a more reasonable explanation.

First of all, establishing a unified kingdom requires a legal basis for including all regions.

In fact, there is some legal basis for the name Australia, because New Zealand used to be part of the Australian Colony, and it seems quite reasonable to establish an Australian kingdom to govern present-day Australia and New Zealand.

However, it cannot be denied that New Zealand has been independent for several decades, and New Zealanders have gradually begun to show differences from Australians.

It would be difficult to reintegrate New Zealanders into Australians at this point and have them become Australians again.

However, there is a solution to this problem. As early as 1756, French scholar Brose published a book called “Histoire des navigations aux terres australes,” which divided the Oceania region, including Australia, New Zealand, and the neighboring Pacific Islands, into one region called Australasia.

Geographically, Australasia includes the Australian continent, Tasmania Island, New Zealand, and Melanesia, and even encompasses New Guinea and nearby islands northeast of Australia.

The scope of Australasia perfectly includes Australia’s current domain, and there are basically no countries within this area that conflict with the legal concept of Australasia.

This means that establishing a Kingdom of Australasia to govern all areas within the scope of Australasia is legally and reasonably justifiable.

Conveniently, a new name could also avoid disputes between Australia and New Zealand, allowing both Australians and New Zealanders to integrate into a new country, combining to form a new nation, the Australasians.

In fact, after Australia and New Zealand became independent in the original timeline, they once used the name Australasia for a while.

For example, during the tennis competitions from 1905 to 1913, Australia and New Zealand joined together and participated under the name Australasia, including the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games.

This demonstrates the attitude of the Australian and New Zealand people towards their mutual union.

Since both ethnicities are mostly immigrants from Britain and Europe, the differences between them are not significant.

Furthermore, Arthur’s high approval ratings and immense prestige in both Australia and New Zealand make it possible for this newly established country to gain widespread support.

The meeting continued into the night, with cabinet members still engaged in heated discussions.

This was only natural, as the establishment of a new kingdom would mean the replacement of the temporarily maintained federal government and the formation of a unified kingdom government.

This raises the question of retaining the Australian Duchy Government and the New Zealand Duchy Government, as well as the future system of the kingdom government.

This is an issue that concerns the interests of these officials and the reason they can continue negotiating into the night without reaching a conclusion.

However, many important matters were determined, such as the name of the new kingdom being Australasia, the capital remaining Sydney in the Capital Territory, and no major changes occurring to the current administrative regions of Australia.

If a unified kingdom government is established, the issue of retaining the Australian Duchy Government and the New Zealand Duchy Government would become a serious one.

In the end, Arthur made the decision to dissolve the Australian Duchy Government and the New Zealand Duchy Government following the establishment of the Australasian Kingdom Government.

In the future, the six states of Australia, the Capital Territory, and the two states of North New Zealand and South New Zealand would all be under the unified management of the kingdom government.

The original Federal House of Representatives and Royal Parliament would be renamed the Australasian Kingdom House of Representatives and Royal Parliament.

This would greatly strengthen the union between Australia and New Zealand, making them both part of a unified kingdom.

The reason Arthur dared to do this was because he controlled both the Australian Duchy Government and the New Zealand Duchy Government and had a good reputation and support in both countries.

As long as the Australians and New Zealanders do not object, even if some officials have differing opinions, they will not be able to make any waves.

In the following days, Arthur convened important officials from both the Australian Duchy Government and the New Zealand Duchy Government to discuss the issue of retaining the current officials of the two duchy governments after the establishment of the kingdom.