Tenterfield Oration

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The Tenterfield Oration was a speech given by Sir Henry Parkes at the Tenterfield School of Arts, New South Wales, Australia on 24 October 1889 advocating the Federation of the six Australian colonies, which were at the time self-governed but under the distant central authority of the British Colonial Secretary.

The town of Tenterfield suffered from the disunited administration of the States, as it was distant from the New South Wales state capital of Sydney and rather closer to commercial centres across the border in Queensland. Border importation tariffs were imposed by Queensland at this time and people in neighbouring districts were strongly in favour of free trade.

The primary reason Parkes gave for Federation in the Tenterfield Oration was the united defence of the Australian continent.