Western Australia wanted capital, but since the people had asked, with acclamation, for Responsible Government, they had not been allowed to borrow a penny. The interests of the aborigines, he continued, were well looked after, and he looked upon the proposed Aborigines Board as a sort of buffer between the settlers and Exeter Hall. The colonies would be perfectly willing to reserve land for defensive purposes, but such must be done by a mutual arrangement between them and the Home Government.
The finding of the Committee was in favour of the passage of the Enabling Bill, with the recommendation that the complete control of the lands should be given to the colony. The members were convinced that the objections operating against the measure before the Commons were without solid foundation, and altogether in opposition to fact. Before the time for the further consideration of the Enabling Bill had arrived, the Colonial Government, Sir W. Robinson, and the Western Australian delegation, brought all the influence possible to bear on the authorities. Statesmen were visited, and personally asked not to obstruct the measure. Petitions were presented to the Queen to grant Western Australia a constitution "similar to those of the other Australian colonies." On 9th June Lord Knutsford introduced a deputation, composed of the Australian Agents-General, to the First Lord of the Treasury, Mr. W.H. Smith. The deputation requested the Right Honourable gentleman, as leader of the House of Commons, to give an assurance that the Government would strive to get the bill through Parliament during the session. Mr. Smith promised to press the measure.
Opposition was renewed when the bill was again before the Commons. Pamphlets had been circulated among members, embracing points of objection to the passage of the bill in its existing form. These declared that it had been drawn by the Conservative Government in London without the people of Western Australia being consulted, and that it was adopted by a purely Conservative Chamber, the Legislative Council of Western Australia, consisting of members possessing a high property qualification, elected on an old and restricted franchise. Objection was taken to a nominated Upper House, to the property qualification of members of the Assembly, and to the electoral qualifications. It was asseverated that, as in other colonies, there should be no qualification for members in the Lower House, and that manhood suffrage should prevail, so as not to restrict the area of selection of representatives.
At one time and another the fate of the measure appeared portentious. Had Sir G. Campbell persisted in his "block" on the second reading, the granting of self-government to Western Australia might have been relegated to the dim future. Then the Conservative party was threatened with a storm over the Irish Land Purchase Bill, upon the carrying of which even their existence in office depended. But constant pressure, and the report of Baron de Worms' Committee, carried conviction, and, notwithstanding renewed opposition from Sir G. Campbell, the third reading was affirmed on 25th July. This was the end so devoutly desired for many years. The turmoil was over, and the Royal assent was given on the 15th August. The people obtained the entire management and control of all their waste lands without prejudice to any vested or other rights.
The new constitution provided for the establishment of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly. The former Chamber was to consist of fifteen members summoned by the Governor, and the latter of thirty members elected by the people. As usual, it was left to the Governor to fix the time and place of meeting of these Chambers, and to prorogue them both, or dissolve the Assembly by proclamation when he might think fit. A session of each Chamber was to be held once, at least, in every year. No member of the Council could hold any office of profit under the Crown, other than such as was liable to be vacated on political grounds, or than that of an officer of Her Majesty's sea or land forces on full, half, or retired pay. One, at least, of the responsible Ministers must be a member of the Council. Members of the Council retained their seats until the expiration of the compromise agreed to in the elective difficulty. The Governor was to appoint a President, who was allowed to take part in debates. Writs for the election of members to serve in the Assembly were to be issued by the Governor, and members could proceed to the despatch of business even though all the writs (so that the number did not exceed five) were not returned. The Assembly was to be elected for four years, and could appoint its own Speaker. Questions were to be decided by the majority of votes, the Speaker or President having a casting vote. To qualify for membership of the two Houses, the aspirant must be a natural-born or naturalised subject of Her Majesty, of the full age of twenty-one years, with an estate of freehold in lands or tenements, within the colony, of the value of £500 above all charges and encumbrances, or of the yearly value of £50; such estate must be held for, at least, one year previous to the election. The candidate was required to make a statutory declaration to these effects, which must be delivered to the Clerk of the Council or Assembly. Judges of the Supreme Court, the Sheriff of the colony, clergymen or ministers of religion, undischarged bankrupts, or a debtor whose affairs were in course of liquidation or arrangement, and those persons who had been attained or convicted of treason or felony in any part of Her Majesty's dominions, were disqualified from membership of either House. Persons, directly or indirectly, holding contracts for the Public Service were also debarred, and if legislators accepted any contract after taking their seats their right to continue in Parliament was declared at an end. There were to be five principal Executive officers, which must be designated and declared by the Governor-in-Council within one month of the coming into operation of the Act. In their first session each House must adopt standing rules and orders for the regulation of proceedings, and it was made lawful for the legislature by enactment to define the privileges, immunities, and powers of either House or of the members thereof.
The colony, was divided into thirty electoral districts, each to return one member to the Legislative Assembly. The electoral districts were:
| East Kimberley | Moore | Bunbury |
| West Kimberley | Swan | Nelson |
| Roebourne | Perth | Sussex |
| De Grey | East Perth | Toodyay |
| Ashburton | West Perth | Northam |
| Gascoyne | Fremantle | York |
| Murchison | North Fremantle | Beverley |
| Geraldton | South Fremantle | Williams |
| Greenough | Murray | Plantagenet |
| Irwin | Wellington | Albany |
This electoral division of the colony was designed so as to not give one portion of the huge territory an unfair advantage over another. A modest score of electors in a remote constituency could return a member in whom was vested all the powers and authority of a metropolitan representative chosen by hundreds of electors. It could not be said that the division was unjust to the northern districts. The electoral laws were slightly altered from those applying to the old Legislative Council. Every man was entitled to be registered and to vote who was of full age and not subject to any legal incapacity; who was a natural-born or naturalised subject of Her Majesty, or a denizen of Western Australia; who had possessed, within his electoral district, for at least one year before
