Australasian Anti-Transportation League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Australasian Anti-Transportation League was a body established to oppose transportation to Australia.

The League developed out of the Anti-Transportation League formed in Launceston in January 1849 to oppose the transportation of convicts to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). By 1851, it had developed into the Australasian League for the Abolition of Transportation with branches on the mainland. In Tasmania's first partially elective Legislative Council, its supporters won all 16 seats up for election. The Legislative Council subsequently voted 16 to 4 to request Queen Victoria to revoke the Order in Council, permitting transportation to Tasmania and Norfolk Island in spite of the strong opposition of Lieutenant Governor William Denison. The Victorian gold rush, commencing in the same year, led the British Government to discontinue transportation, because it was seen as an incentive for criminals to be transported to eastern Australia, and the last convict ship to be sent from England, the St. Vincent, arrived in Tasmania in 1853.[1]

The League had its own flag, similar to many later flags, including the flag of New Zealand, flag of Victoria and flag of Australia.

[edit] References

 This article about an organisation in Australia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.