On November 30, 1854 there was a meeting held on Bakery Hill. There, miners burnt their licences in protest and made an oath to fight against the police.

On December 3, 1854 began the Eureka Rebellion on Ballarat East. The miners fought hard but they finally lost after a fiery 20 minutes. [1]

The Eureka Rebellion was caused by disagreements over the unfair laws, balance of power and policing by the government. Miners during the gold rush were obliged by law to purchase a licence and have it carried with them at all times or else they would face a fine and arrest. The gold miners couldn't vote and could not own the land on which they worked. They felt the laws were unfair, and they were willing to fight for a change. A meeting was held and over 500 miners attended. They chose an Australian-Irish man by the name of Peter Fintan Lalor to become their leader. They gathered under the Eureka flag, bent down on to one knee and made an oath to fight alongside each other to defend their rights and liberties. They formed a wooden stockade and anticipated the main attack. The day came for the clash against the police. The miners had plotted their attack and defence adequately but they didn't stand a chance against the police who stood armed with powerful bayonets. After the fiery battle, about 125 of the miners were brought to jail and several more wounded. There were 6 police deaths and at least 22 miner deaths during the battle. [2]

The Eureka Rebellion was a crucial event towards democracy for Australia. Miners demanded the laws to change, which included: The ending of the licence and gold commission, vote for all males, etc. All the demands were met and they made a system where instead of paying for the possibility of finding gold, they paid tax on the gold they found. It is now viewed as the birthplace of Australia's political system due to the effects of the Eureka Rebellion. The miners benefited from their accomplishments for democracy and their power and rights quickly escalated. [3]

Before, they were unable to claim the land where they worked which means that they could've been relocated immediately. They had to buy a licence and carry it with them at all times or they could be fined and arrested.The miners were fed up about the laws and wanted a change. The Eureka Rebellion was won by the police just before dawn on December 3rd, 1854, and most miners were taken into arrest. Within months, all the miners held for the trial were acquitted, except for one. The gold miners in Ballarat demanded various reforms, notably the abolition of the gold licence and the right to vote which were all accepted into law. A Royal Commission recommended that the licensing laws be replaced with a system where miners paid a tax on gold they found, instead of paying for the possibility of striking gold. Miners were also given the right to own the land on which they worked. Later, Peter Lalor became a representative in Parliament which would increase the miners powers as more and more of them become electorates in Parliament. [4]