On 1 July 1851, Victoria - previously known as the Port Phillip District - formally separated from New South Wales, following the passage of An Act for the Better Government of Her Majesty's Australian Colonies in the British Parliament. A monument to commemorate the struggles of the Eight Hours movement was unveiled in 1903. The worst excesses were investigated by the Shops Royal Commission of 1882 and were partly addressed by amendments to factory legislation. Extended shop opening hours and the rapid growth of manufacturing industries meant long hours and poor conditions for many unskilled workers. Legislation to formalise the eight hours system was not successful in the Victorian Parliament, although the Government eventually agreed to apply the principle to all government contracts.
A number of other trades had success in gaining an eight-hour work day, particularly when the economy was thriving. The eight-hour day was achieved by Victorian stonemasons in April 1856 after they staged a strike on the Parliament House building site. The origins of the Victorian eight-hour day
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