Which powers did the Australian colonies give to the Commonwealth government in 1901?

When the Commonwealth of Australia was formed on January 1, 1901, the former colonies became states and transitioned to a federal system. Under the new constitution, these states surrendered only limited and specified powers to the federal government, while retaining all other "residual powers" for themselves.12

The specific powers granted to the Commonwealth government in 1901 included:

• Defense12
• Immigration12
• Customs and excise12
• External affairs (foreign policy)12
• Marriage1
• Post office2

Powers not explicitly assigned to the federal government—such as justice, education, health, and internal transport—remained the responsibility of the individual states. Any constitutional disputes regarding this division of power were designated to be resolved by the High Court of Australia.21