Editing Chris Watson (section)

==Federal parliament==
[[File:Chris Watson portrait and autograph.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Signed photograph of Watson]]
Watson was elected to the new [[Parliament of Australia|federal Parliament of Australia]] at the inaugural [[1901 Australian federal election|1901 federal election]], representing the rural [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] rural seat of [[Division of Bland|Bland]].<ref name=apme>{{cite web
  | title =Chris Watson, Elections
  | publisher =[[National Archives of Australia]]
  | work =Australia's Prime Ministers
  | url =http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/watson/elections.aspx
  | access-date =9 February 2010
  | archive-date =8 June 2010
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100608064832/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/watson/elections.aspx
  | url-status =dead
  }}</ref>

Watson arrived in [[Melbourne]], which at the time served as the temporary seat of government, in May 1901. Watson was elected the first leader of the [[Australian Labor Party Caucus|Federal Parliamentary Labor Party]] (usually known as the Caucus) on 8 May 1901, the day before the opening of the parliament.<ref name=adb/><ref name=apmfll>{{cite web
  | title =Chris Watson, Federal Labour leader 1901
  | publisher =[[National Archives of Australia]]
  | work =Australia's Prime Ministers
  | url =http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/watson/before-office.aspx#section3
  | access-date =9 February 2010
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090929094444/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/watson/before-office.aspx#section3
  | archive-date =29 September 2009
| url-status =dead
  }}</ref>

Watson pursued the same policy as Labor had done in New South Wales, where Labor was the smallest of the three parties but held the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]]. Under Watson, Labor provided [[confidence and supply]] to the [[Protectionist Party]] [[minority government]]s of [[Edmund Barton]] and [[Alfred Deakin]] in exchange for legislation enacting the Labour platform, such as the immensely popular [[White Australia policy]] which left the [[free Trade Party]] led by [[George Reid]] to form the [[Opposition (Australia)|opposition]].<ref name=adb/><ref name=apmfll/>

Watson, as a Labor moderate, genuinely admired Deakin and shared his liberal views on many subjects. Deakin reciprocated this sentiment. Deakin wrote in one of his anonymous articles in a London newspaper that "The Labour<!-- do not change spelling, is correct in historical context --> section has much cause for gratitude to Mr Watson, the leader whose tact and judgement have enabled it to achieve many of its Parliamentary successes."<ref name=adb/>

===White Australia===
Watson was a [[white nationalism|white nationalist]] and [[white supremacy|white supremacist]] who played a key role in the creation of the [[White Australia policy]]. According to {{harvp|Hearn|2007}}, the "ideal of a white Australia stood at the centre of Watson's political ideology, a touchstone of Australian identity that Watson repeatedly stressed in interviews, speeches and articles". However, some of his biographers have noted that his racial views were widespread among Australians at the time and that all three major parties supported White Australia.{{sfn|Hearn|2007|p=357}}

During the debate over what became the ''[[Immigration Restriction Act 1901]]'', Watson stated that the issue of racial purity was "the larger and more important one" for the passage of the bill, where some speakers had emphasised concerns over the economic impact of cheap foreign labour. He opposed the government's [[dictation test]] provision on the grounds that it could be easily circumvented, and that "education does not eliminate the objectionable qualities of the Baboo Hindoo". He instead sought to explicitly ban any Asian or African from entering Australia.{{sfn|Hearn|2007|p=358}} During the same debate he spoke of "racial contamination" and referred to Chinese people using a racial slur,{{sfn|Hearn|2007|p=357}} rhetorically asking "whether we would desire that our sisters or our brothers should be married into any of these races to which we object".{{sfn|Hearn|2007|p=358}} In 1905, Watson drafted a new plank for the ALP platform calling for "an Australian sentiment based upon the maintenance of racial purity". He successfully moved for its adoption at both state and federal conferences, stating that the party should "cleanse their own doorstep with the hope that thus the street would be cleansed".{{sfn|Hearn|2007|p=361}}