Chapter 18 : First meeting of the House of Commons

After hearing the guard's words, the crowd fell silent instantly, and everyone looked expectantly at the guard or the list in his hand.

Seeing that the scene was gradually calming down, the guard said, "We are now announcing the list of members of the House of Commons for the entire state of New South Wales. After the list is announced, these members will officially assume their positions for a term of two years."

"Albert! Martin! . . . Henry! The 71 members mentioned above are the new members of the House of Commons. Soldiers will later go to the residences of these members to notify them. According to the order of His Royal Highness, the first formal meeting of the House of Commons will be held on June 10. At that time, all elected members must be present to attend the parliament of the House of Commons unless there are special circumstances." The guards gave solemn instructions after reading all the names.

Since this was the first time the House of Commons was holding a session, Arthur decided to preside over it himself.

This also significantly increased the seriousness and solemnity of the meeting, so, in theory, parliamentarians are not allowed to be absent without a valid reason.

"Sir, when will the members of the State Council be announced?" asked a man who thought he had an advantage but was not elected to the House of Commons.

Without entering the House of Commons, joining the state legislature is currently the only path for those who dream of entering politics.

"I'm sorry, we do not know the list for the State Council. I'm afraid we will have to wait until the State Council announces it later." The guard spread his hands and spoke apologetically.

After hearing what the guards said, those who did not win the elections immediately felt dejected and looked at the winners around them celebrating with a hint of envy.

As two of the highest-ranking officials of the Sydney City Government, Henry and Martin achieved relative success in these elections, both being successfully elected to the House of Commons.

At that moment, they both heard their names from the mouths of the people around them and looked at each other joyfully.

"Hey, Henry! Did you hear that? We've won the election! From now on, we will be honorable members of parliament, man," Martin said to Henry enthusiastically.

"Of course, Martin. You're right, we are now members of Parliament." Henry also seemed happy, but he controlled his excitement better and simply responded to Martin with a smile.

For small-town government officials like them, being successfully elected as councilors is definitely a significant boost to their official careers.

In any country with a parliament, parliamentarians are politicians with distinguished status and considerable power. Even in an absolute monarchy like Australia, parliamentarians hold some influence in the political arena.

"Alright, gentlemen. This is the entrance to the Capitol. If you have nothing to do, please do not gather here. Members of the House of Commons, do not forget the first meeting on the 10th of next month. The rest of you will have to wait for the Capitol's announcement." After reading the list, the guard placed it on the bulletin board in front of the Capitol, gave a final instruction to the crowd, and then returned to the government building.

After hearing the guards' reminder, the crowd tactfully left the state house. As the saying goes, some are happy, and some are sad. Those who successfully won the elections are naturally very pleased, while those not mentioned on the list could only watch the people around them celebrating with laughter and envy.

June 10, 1900, State House, Sydney

Since Arthur's arrival, this government building, originally used by the colonial government of New South Wales, was temporarily converted into the Australian National Government Building by Arthur.

Fortunately, this building was planned to be relatively large when initially constructed, so it can barely accommodate all the government agencies of the country.

This is only a short-term last resort. Arthur will definitely opt to build new government buildings and royal palaces. Whether it's the national government headquarters or the royal family's residence, it should not be too neglected.

At seven in the morning, the entrance of the government building was surrounded by a crowd of neatly dressed and serious individuals.

This group of people were neither government building officials nor spectators but all the members of the Australian House of Commons elected on election day some time ago.

Knowing that this day is very important for all parliament members, everyone dressed very formally. Usually, they gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, but on this occasion, they appeared serious and solemn at the entrance of the government building.

After a while, the door of the government building slowly opened, and a team of guards came out slowly and told everyone, "Dear parliament members, today's meeting will be held in the first meeting room on the east side of the upper floor. Please remain serious and quiet when going upstairs."

After hearing the guard's instructions, everyone began to follow them and walked to the upper floor of the government building.

The upper floor of the government building is the temporary residence of royal family members, such as Arthur and Princess Louise, Margaret, and Patricia. It is also equipped with two meeting rooms, a dining room, and two offices.

The first meeting room mentioned by the guard is the largest meeting room on the upper floor of the government building. It can accommodate 300 people for meetings, which is more than enough for the 190 congressmen.

Everyone walked carefully to the rooftop and, under the guidance of the guards, headed towards the meeting room.

As they passed through the floors, no congressman dared to look around. After all, the guards surrounding them were watching them all the time. If they dared to look around, not only would they give Arthur a bad impression, but they might also be blamed.

After entering the meeting room, everyone took their seats according to the assigned arrangement. Most people chose the middle seats at the back. Apart from some governors and a few brave congressmen, there were only a few unlucky individuals who arrived late. When there were no free seats left in the last row, they sat in the front row with nervous expressions on their faces.

At eight o'clock, with the sound of a bell, the guard opened the door, and Arthur entered with a smile.

He first looked around and saw several familiar faces. Then Arthur smiled and said, "Congratulations to all of you. You have stood out among thousands or even tens of thousands of people and have become the first members of the Australian House of Commons."

Seeing that Arthur's first sentence was not severe, many congressmen breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere was greatly alleviated.

"But I still have to remind you that your status has changed now. You are official members of the House of Commons of the Principality of Australia and important officials who can decide the cabinet elections and the laws of this country. You may have been civilians before, or perhaps city government officials. But now, all of you are distinguished members of parliament. During your term, I do not want to see any corruption or bribery. I hope all of you can assume this important position with the purpose of developing Australia and building our beautiful home." Arthur's tone suddenly changed, and he began to speak solemnly and seriously.