<P> Section 51 of the Constitution of Australia grants legislative powers to the Australian ( Commonwealth ) Parliament only when subject to the constitution . When the six Australian colonies joined together in Federation in 1901 , they became the original States and ceded some of their powers to the new Commonwealth Parliament . There are 39 subsections to section 51 , each of which describes a `` head of power '' under which the Parliament has the power to make laws . </P>
where are the concurrent powers of the federal parliament specifically stated in the constitution
Section 51