Despite a reputation of colonial inferiority , many of the locally raised units were highly organised , disciplined , professional , and well trained . During this period , defences in Australia mainly revolved around static defence by combined infantry and artillery , based on garrisoned coastal forts . However , by the 1890s , improved railway communications between the mainland eastern colonies led Major General James Edwards — who had recently completed a survey of colonial military forces — to the belief that the colonies could be defended by the rapid mobilisation of brigades of infantry . As a consequence he called for a restructure of defences , and defensive agreements to be made between the colonies . Edwards argued for the colonial forces to be federated and for professional units — obliged to serve anywhere in the South Pacific — to replace the volunteer forces . These views found support in the influential New South Wales Commandant , Major General Edward Hutton , however suspicions held by the smaller colonies towards New South Wales and Victoria stifled the proposal . These reforms remaining unresolved however , and defence issues were generally given little attention in the debate on the political federation of the colonies .