Tenterfield Oration

The Tenterfield Oration was a speech delivered by Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, at the Tenterfield School of Arts in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia, on 24 October 1889.

In the oration, Parkes called for the Federation of the six Australian colonies, which were then self-governing but remained under the authority of the British Colonial Secretary. The speech is regarded as the catalyst for the federation process in Australia, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia 12 years later, in 1901.