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p1
Letters Patent re Constitution 25 August 1890 (UK)
Letters Patent re Constitution 25 August 1890 (UK), p1
Significance
This document is a fundamental part of the 1889 Western Australia Constitution, as the Letters Patent contain important provisions relating to the Office of Governor and to the Executive Council which were not included in the Constitution, as they are in the Commonwealth Constitution.
History
The Constitution of Western Australia only included some of the provisions relating to the Office of Governor. Many of these matters, and also those relating to the establishment and appointment of the Executive Council, were dealt with in these Letters Patent issued by the Crown shortly after the granting of the Royal Assent to the Bill bringing the 1889 Constitution into force.

In October 1900, Letters Patent were issued relating to Western Australia’s change from a Colony to a State within the Commonwealth of Australia. The most recent Letters Patent dated February 1986, was issued following the passage of the Australia Acts which included specific references to the power and functions of the Governor. In addition, the passage of the Constitution Amendment Act in 1978 saw the inclusion in the Constitution Act of certain sections intended to protect the Office of Governor.

Sources

Battye, JS, Western Australia: A History from its Discovery to the Inauguration of the Commonwealth, Oxford, Clarendon Press, Perth, 1924.

Black, D, The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832–1990, Parliament of Western Australia, Perth, 1991.

Colebatch, H, A Story of a Hundred Years, Western Australia 1829–1929, Government Printer, Perth, 1929.

Crowley, FK, Australia's Western Third: A History of Western Australia From the First Settlements to Modern Times, Macmillan, London, 1960.

Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, Acts and Other Information Relating to Parliament.

Lumb, RD, The Constitutions of the Australian States, (5th edn) University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1991.

Stannage, CT, A New History of Western Australia, University of Western Australia Press, Perth, 1981.

Description
Long Title:Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, constituting the offices of Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Western Australia, 25 August 1890
No. of pages:2
Medium:Parchment
Measurements:53 x 62 cm
Provenance:British Government
Features:Stamped with Royal Sign Manual
Location & Copyright:State Records Office of Western Australia
Reference:SROWA: WAS 1354, Cons 6432, item 4