First Session of the Lower House

Hearing the guards' words, the crowd instantly grew quiet, casting expectant gazes at the guards or, rather, the list in the guards' hands.

Seeing that the scene was gradually quieting down, a guard then spoke, "What is being announced now is the list of Lower House members for the entire New South Wales. Starting from the announcement of this list, these members will officially take office with a two-year term."

"Abbott Martin Henris! The above seventy-one people are the newly appointed members of the Lower House. Later, soldiers will be sent to notify the residences of these members. According to the Princess's orders, the time for the first official session of the Lower House is set for June tenth. At that time, all elected members should be present barring exceptional circumstances to attend the Lower House assembly." After reading out the entire list, the guard solemnly admonished.

Because it was the first time the Lower House was holding an assembly, Arthur decided to attend and preside in person.

This also greatly enhanced the solemnity and gravity of this meeting, meaning that theoretically, members were not permitted to be absent without any reason.

"Sir, when will the members of the State Assembly be announced?" a person who considered himself to have an advantage but had not been elected to the Lower House hurriedly asked.

Without entering the Lower House, joining the State Assembly was currently the only way for these people who dreamed of entering officialdom.

"I am sorry, we do not know the list for the State Assembly. That will probably have to wait for the State Assembly to announce it later," the guard spread his hands and said apologetically.

Hearing the guard say this, those who had failed to win election instantly became dejected, casting envious glances at the surrounding successful candidates who were celebrating.

As relatively senior officials of the Sydney City Government, Henris and Martin were quite successful in this election, with both of them successfully selected for the Lower House.

At this moment, the two of them were hearing their own names from the mouths of those around them, looking at each other with joy on their faces.

"Hey! Henris, did you hear that? We won the election! From now on, we are distinguished members of parliament, old buddy." Martin said to Henris with an excited expression.

"Of course, Martin. You are right, we are already members of parliament now." Henris likewise wore a joyful expression, except that Henris exercised better restraint over his wild impulse, only smiling in response to Martin.

For minor city government officials like them, successfully being elected as members of parliament was definitely a huge boost to their official careers.

For any country with a parliament, members of parliament were politicians with distinguished status and immense power. Even in an absolute monarchy like Australia, parliamentarians possessed a certain right to speak in the political arena.

"Alright, gentlemen. This is the entrance of the State Assembly; if you have nothing else to do, you should not gather here. Gentlemen of the Lower House, do not forget the first session on the tenth of next month, and the rest of you can rest assured and wait for the State Assembly's announcement." After reading the list, the guard posted the list on the bulletin wall at the entrance of the State Assembly, admonished the crowd one last time, and immediately returned to the Government Building.

Hearing the guard's reminder, the crowd also sensibly dispersed from the State Assembly. As the saying goes, some families rejoice while others grieve; those who successfully campaigned were naturally exceptionally happy, while those whose names were not mentioned could only harbor feelings of envy and jealousy while watching people around them chat and celebrate.

June 10, 1900, Sydney, National Government Building.

Ever since Arthur's arrival, this government building originally used for office work by the New South Wales Colonial Government was also temporarily remodeled by Arthur into the Australian National Government Building.

Fortunately, when this building was initially constructed, its planning was relatively large, which was why it could barely accommodate the stationed government agencies of the entire country.

This was merely a helpless measure for the short term; Arthur would inevitably choose to newly construct a government building and a royal palace. Whether it was the stationing place of the national government or the residence of the royal family, neither could possibly be too shabby.

At seven in the morning, the area outside the gates of the Government Building was surrounded by a crowd dressed in rigorous attire who did not crack smiles.

This group of people were neither officials inside the Government Building nor the onlookers, but rather all the members of the Australian Lower House who had been elected on the election day some time ago.

Knowing that this day was a very important day for all members, everyone's attire was rigorous and solemn. Usually gathering in twos and threes to chat and laugh, they now did not crack smiles at the entrance of the Government Building and looked extremely serious.

After a period of time, the gates of the Government Building slowly opened, and a team of guards slowly walked out, saying to everyone, "Gentleman members, today's meeting location is the first conference room on the east side of the top floor. Please keep it solemn and quiet when everyone goes upstairs."

Hearing the guards' admonition, the crowd began to follow the guards' guidance and walk toward the top floor of the Government Building.

The top floor of the Government Building was the temporary residence of royal family members such as Arthur, Princess Louise, Marguerite, and Patricia, and it was also equipped with two conference rooms, a dining room, and two offices.

The first conference room mentioned by the guards was the largest conference room on the top floor of the Government Building, which could accommodate a maximum of three hundred people for a meeting, which was completely sufficient for these one hundred and ninety members.

Everyone cautiously walked up to the top floor one after another, and under the guidance of the guards, they proceeded into the conference room.

During the passage through the floors, not a single member dared to look around blindly. After all, the surrounding guards were staring at them every moment; if they dared to look around, it would not only leave a bad impression on Arthur, but might also incur blame.

Entering the conference room, everyone took their seats according to the seating arrangement. Most people chose positions in the middle and toward the back. Apart from a few governors and some bolder members, the front positions were occupied only by a few unlucky fellows who came relatively late and had no seats left in the back rows, forcing them to sit in the front with nervous expressions.

At eight o'clock, amidst the sound of a bell, a guard pushed open the door, and Arthur walked in with a smile.

He first scanned the room, noticing several familiar faces along the way, and then Arthur said with a smile, "Everyone, congratulations on standing out from thousands or even tens of thousands of people to become the first members of the Australian Lower House."

Phew!

Seeing that Arthur's first sentence was not stern, many members breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere eased by more than half.

"But I still have to remind you of one thing: your status has changed now. You are official members of the Lower House of the Australian Duchy, important officials who can determine the Cabinet Election and laws in this country. You might have been commoners before, or perhaps officials of the city government. But now, you are all distinguished members of parliament. During your tenure, I do not wish to see any phenomenon of corruption and bribery occur, and I hope that all of you can shoulder this important position with the aim of developing Australia and building our beautiful homeland." Arthur's tone suddenly changed, and he began to speak solemnly and sternly.