If the prime ministers didn't know Arthur's intentions before, they had to know now.
In their original plans, they only needed to persuade Arthur to agree to a federal government composed of autonomous states, and they could retain a significant amount of their power.
Even if they couldn't enter the national government of Australia, they could still maintain their position as governors and even try to undermine Arthur's authority.
But according to Arthur's proposal, both the upper and lower houses would be under his control, and the cabinet elected by the lower house would also be under his influence.
The states that had evolved from the colonies would also lose any other rights, and they could only be governors, waiting for their terms to end and seeking re-election or resignation.
The prime ministers remained silent, only looking at the leading prime minister, Evan.
Evan gave a bitter smile, but he dared not speak out. He understood what the other prime ministers were thinking, but in reality, they were all colonial governors sent by the British Empire to Australia. Although they had gained a significant amount of power in Australia, their control was divided in half. They controlled the executive power, while several army commanders controlled the other part.
Now that Arthur had arrived in Australia, the Australian military would inevitably hand over control to him.
In addition, Queen Victoria was still in Australia, and who had the courage to stand up and oppose Arthur with her present?
Queen Victoria's destination was White Island in New Zealand, and she did not stay long in the Suez Canal or India.
But in Australia, Queen Victoria had been there for three days and showed no intention of leaving, which was also a way of supporting Arthur.
"Very well, since no one has any other objections, we can begin preparations to change the colonies into states and establish the upper and lower houses. It is now nearing May, and I hope that nationwide lower house elections can officially begin in mid-May." Arthur smiled and said when no one objected.
Now it seemed that these guys were all very wise and didn't have the stupidity to oppose Arthur.
It should be noted that even the entire Australian military only had just over 6,000 soldiers, who were scattered across six colonies.
But when combined with Queen Victoria and Arthur's personal guard, they had a total of 4,000 soldiers. Even if someone incited rebellion, it could be immediately suppressed.
"Yes, Your Highness," the six people reluctantly agreed.
"Before the national government is formally established, Prime Minister Evan will serve as interim prime minister, and the other prime ministers will serve as members of the interim cabinet. The construction of Australia still requires everyone's joint efforts, and we hope to complete the government's establishment by the end of May," Arthur said with a smile.
Arthur understood the principle of using a stick and a carrot, after depriving the six prime ministers of their desired state autonomy, he promoted them to members of the interim government's cabinet, hoping they would contribute to the government formation process and speed up the progress.
If they were truly capable, Arthur did not mind giving them a push after the government was established, allowing them to truly sit on the cabinet or even the prime minister's throne.
"Yes, Your Highness!" As expected, after hearing Arthur's arrangement, the prime ministers seemed to suddenly have motivation and responded one after another.
"However, at the same time, the establishment of the national government requires a constitution to guide it. It is time to promulgate our own constitution, let's call it the Australian Constitution. The content of the constitution will refer to the major monarchies in Europe, combined with our domestic situation, and revised accordingly. Does the Federal Council have any proposals regarding the constitution?" Arthur asked.
The constitution is the basis for detailing the division of powers among various state institutions, and also clearly defines the rights and obligations of different classes in the country.
Whether for ordinary Australians or for Arthur himself, a detailed and clear constitution is needed to determine their rights.
"We have considered drafting a constitution, but it is clearly not suitable for our current national situation," Prime Minister Evan replied.
The previous Federal Council was more inclined towards federal republicanism, which was completely different from the current Australian principality.
"Prime Minister Evan also showed tact by not mentioning the constitution they had previously envisioned. Otherwise, it would have angered Arthur and his position as interim prime minister would have been in jeopardy.
"Let's briefly discuss it now. Do you have any good proposals for our constitution?" Arthur asked with a hint of meaning in his smile.
When it comes to constitutions, the United Kingdom is a rather special country. Unlike other countries with a clear constitutional system, the UK does not have a written constitution but rather a system composed of written law, customary law, and convention.
This also means that the British monarch formally has a lot of power, including the appointment and dismissal of all officials, colonial governors, bishops and senior church officials, as well as the power to summon, suspend and dissolve parliament, approve laws, declare war and make peace.
But in reality, a large part of these powers has been transferred to the cabinet, and the power of the British monarch has been severely limited.
However, it cannot be denied that if the British monarch has a lot of influence, they can easily use these formal powers.
The protagonist now has over a hundred million pounds. They could directly establish a bank and become the controlling organization of the country's lifeline, the Australian Reserve. Any national funding matters would be controlled by them, and their control over the country would be absolute. As long as the bank does not fail, they will always be the Australian emperor.
Take the current British monarch, Queen Victoria, for example. If Queen Victoria wants to appoint or dismiss any official in the British Empire, the British political arena will not object.
But if it is the Prince Edward who ascends the throne and wants to quickly appoint or dismiss important officials, he will have to see whether the parliament will impeach and execute them.
"Your Highness, I think our first constitution should clarify the division of powers and responsibilities of each department, as well as the system and institutions of our country. Out of respect for you, your powers also need to be detailed," Prime Minister Evan said with a slightly respectful smile.
Although Prime Minister Evan spoke well, clarifying Arthur's powers was actually a way of limiting them. After all, the powers specified in the constitution are legal, and those not specified in the constitution become illegal, right?
"I think the German system with a clear constitution is very good, and Australia is also suitable to become a dual monarchy. The Lower House is responsible for legislation and elections, while the Upper House is responsible for supervising and dismissing officials, as well as reviewing laws and election results passed by the Lower House. The Lower House is accountable to the voters, and the Upper House is accountable to me. At the same time, the rulers of Australia, that is, me, have all the powers of the Upper and Lower Houses, as well as the right to dissolve the cabinet and the Upper and Lower Houses at any time," Arthur said with a smile.
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