The Australian Constitution

Containers:

Box 5

Component identifier:

Series 5

Content Summary:

Isaacs was a strong advocate of federation and a member of the Victorian delegation at the Federal Convention of 1897-1898. He was a member of its finance committee and drew upon his legal training to suggest many revisions of the recommendations of the drafting committee. The papers contain Isaacs' annotated Draft of a bill to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia adopted by the National Australasian Convention 1891, two annotated copies of Draft of a bill to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia approved by the Australasian Federal Convention in 1897, an article by Isaacs 'A modernised constitution : a conspicuous example of its necessity', and an annotated printed and typescript copy of Australasian Federal Constitution 1897, American decisions and references.

Comprises Items 1-82.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers of Sir Isaac Isaacs received by the National Library in three parts. The major portion was deposited by Lady Isaacs in 1950. In 1968, after the death of Isaacs' daughter Mrs Marjorie Cohen, a second group of papers was received from her son Thomas B. Cohen. A further collection, used by Sir Zelman Cowen for his biography Isaac Isaacs, was deposited in April 1970.

Names:

Sir Isaac Isaacs

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