Bendigo Petition

The Bendigo Petition was an attempt by miners in the colony of Victoria (now part of the Commonwealth of Australia) to demand reasonable limits to taxation and improved access to land from Governor La Trobe, a representative of the British Government. In particular the miners requested reform of license fees applicable to miners on the gold fields. The Bendigo Petition built on the earlier demands enunciated by miners at the Forest Creek Monster Meeting of 1851.

The Anti-Gold Licence Association was formed by G E Thomson, Dr Jones and Edward Brown at Bendigo on 6 June 1853.

The petitions demands included:

1. To direct that the License Fee be reduced to 10 Shillings a Month.
2. To direct that Monthly or Quarterly Licenses be issued at the option of the applicants.
3. To direct that new arrivals or invalids be allowed on registering their names at the Commissioners Office fifteen clear days residence on the Goldfields before the license be enforced.
4. To afford greater facility to Diggers and others resident on the Goldfields who wish to engage in Agricultural Pursuits for investing their earnings in small allotments of land.
5. To direct that the Penalty of Five Pounds for no possession of License be reduced to One pound.
6. To direct that the sending of an Armed Force to enforce the License Tax be discontinued.

Most of the petition's demands, including the reduction in the licence fee, were rejected.

References

• "Bendigo Petition 1853 Australian Manuscripts Collection". Treasures. State Library of Victoria. 2005. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
• "Bendigo Petition 1853 Australian Manuscripts Collection (page 2)". Treasures. State Library of Victoria. 2005. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
• "Image of Bendigo Petition". Australian Manuscripts Collection. State Library of Victoria. 2005. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2006.
• "Transcript of petition text". Bendigo Petition 1853 Australian Manuscripts Collection. State Library of Victoria. 2005. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
• "Index of names: Bendigo Petition". Australian Manuscripts Collection. State Library of Victoria. 2005. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2006.
• Delahunty, Victorian Minister for Arts, Mary (1 September 2004). "The Road to Eureka: Miner's Petition returns to Bendigo". Media Releases. Minister for Arts. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2006.