Outpost of Empire

A number of events occurred towards the end of the eighteenth century that influenced the creation of a new British colony in Australia in 1788. America’s revolution and subsequent declaration of independence in 1776 meant that Britain lost control of a colony important not only for its resources but also as a ‘dumping ground’ for unwanted convicts. Yet the increasingly reluctance of juries to execute prisoners, especially for petty crimes, meant that individuals were being committed to transportation more than ever. As they were only ever intended as a temporary solution to the dramatic increase in prisoners that these situations created, prison hulks were overcrowded, filthy and rife with disease. Therefore, with the British prisoner population doubling between 1782 and 1788, a long-term solution was urgently needed. This solution was provided by Botany Bay, a site recommended for a new penal colony by Joseph Banks after he returned from there in 1770.

English hulks such as these were unable to stem the dramatic rise in prisoner numbers. [Source: National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an5601463]

Australia provided many advantages for Britain in the region. At a time of great colonial expansion, settling Australia would not only expand Britain’s own empire, but prevent French and Spanish expansion at a time of war with both. Australia was also of great strategic importance. It gave Britain a base to expand its empire on this side of the world, particularly through trade with China. It would give the empire access to the whaling trade, and allow their domestic economy to make a profit from Australia’s need to buy additional resources. Although this access to Asia was arguably already provided by the Indian ‘jewel in the crown’, the subcontinent was not seen as a place for white men to do hard labour. Many convicts became extremely sick and often died there from diseases and conditions which they had not been exposed to previously. Under these circumstances, reforming the convicts and using them to aid the empire was not possible.

The widespread availability of flax and timber throughout the Australian landscape was also an important consideration, as it was these materials that were needed to build up a dominant Navy, the symbol of imperial might. Although there were British colonies better able to provide high quality resources, the importance of accessibility to these resources, as well as Australia’s other advantages, mean that historians such as Geoffrey Blainey argue that this was the chief reason for Australia’s colonisation.

By creating a convict settlement here, Britain could not only solve the government’s problem of overcrowding on hulks that was creating both public and political discord at home, but also gain the use of the convicts’ labour to create a desirable new colony. The distance from Britain meant that few settlers would initially want to come, and certainly not enough for the colony to survive. In order to gain the advantages that Australia offered they would need to force the first group to come. Britain therefore not only benefited by using Australia as a ‘dumping ground’ for convicts, but also used these same convicts to access other opportunities and resources and expand its empire further than ever before.