Ever since Queensland seperated from NSW there was a push by people in Northen NSW to form a new state called New England. People in rural communities were never happy about the way that the state was being governed and the decisions being made in Sydney. In 1967 it came to a head with a referendum involving all New England voters in order to decide whether they should seperate from NSW or not. The labor party strongly campaigned against the idea and although the majority of the rest of New England voted to seperate it was narrowly defeated because the more populated areas of Newcastle and the Lower Hunter happened to be labor strongholds and overwhelmingly voted NO. With the demise of ship building, steel making, heavy manufacturing industries, power stations and soon probably coal mining in Newcastle and the Lower Hunter I wonder how that vote would go if it was held today - Labor and the unions are no longer the power they once were in this area.
By the late 1890s Federation had replaced separation of North Queensland as a separate state as a cause dear to most North Queenslanders.
Croydon had been anti-separation in the 1880s because there was hope of railways from the Queensland government and their arrival in 1891 improved communications and lessened the remoteness of the North.
In the Referendum of 1899 the Northern vote became the decisive factor that brought Queensland into the Commonwealth.
Croydon had the highest percentage of yes votes, 95%.
Otherwise would have been an even narrower system!
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