Editing Commonwealth (section)

===Australia===
{{Main|Australia|l1 = Commonwealth of Australia|Australian Government}}
"Commonwealth" was first proposed as a term for a [[Federation of Australia|federation]] of the six Australian [[crown colony|crown colonies]] at the [[Constitutional Convention (Australia)#1891 convention|1891 constitutional convention]] in [[Sydney]]. Its adoption was initially controversial, as it was associated by some with the republicanism of [[Oliver Cromwell]] ([[#England|see above]]), but it was retained in all subsequent drafts of the constitution.<ref>Helen Irving. [http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/helen_irving,9939.html Australian Federation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715000750/http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/helen_irving%2C9939.html |date=2015-07-15 }} – Civics and Citizenship Education. Retrieved 15 July 2015.</ref> The term was finally incorporated into law in the ''[[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act]] 1900'', which established the federation. Australia operates under a federal system, in which power is divided between the federal (national) government and the [[States and territories of Australia|state governments]] (the successors of the six colonies). So, in an Australian context, the term "Commonwealth" (capitalised), which is often abbreviated to Cth, refers to the [[Government of Australia|federal government]], and "Commonwealth of Australia" is the official name of the country.