The Bendigo Petition was an attempt by miners in the colony of Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 (now Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

) to demand political representation and reasonable limits to taxation from Governor La Trobe

Charles La Trobe

Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...

, 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

Forest Creek Monster Meeting

One of the social effects of the Australian gold rushes in the colony of Victoria in the period 1851-54 was the growing demand for political representation and reasonable limits to taxation...

 of 1851

1851 in Australia

See also:1850 in Australia,other events of 1851,1852 in Australia,1853 in Australia,1854 in Australia,and theTimeline of Australian history....

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The Anti-Gold Licence Association

Anti-Gold Licence Association

The Anti-Gold Licence Association was formed in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia on 6 June 1853.On 1 August Governor La Trobe was presented with a petition of more than 5,000 signatures, now known as the Bendigo Petition....

 was formed by G E Thomson, Dr Jones and Edward Brown at Bendigo on the 6 June 1853. Over 23,000 signatures were gathered for the Association's petition. An additional 8000 signatures from the nearby McIvor (Heathcote) diggings were lost as a result of the robbery of a gold escort in July 1853. By the 1st August the petition, 30 metres long, was sent to the Governor in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

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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.