I think it is fairly clear that Australia has Canada and the Ross Rifle, in part, to thank for being able to turn out their own rifles (and wonderful rifles some of them are!).
At the conclusion of the Boer War, Canada wanted to purchase more modern weapons, the Snider being still the most common military rifle in the country. Particularly, Canada wantd the new Short rifle. Britain said "no". The Canadian Government then approached the BSA Company, then engaged in building the new rifle, for a supply..... and the Colonial Office said "no". But BSA was in the gunmaking business, so Canada offered BSA a factory location and a contract if thay would sat up factory here. Again, the Colonial Office said "no". Canada was to be allowed to have more Sniders (!) or Martini-Henrys, perhaps Martini-Metfords or Martini-Enfields..... but NOT the new Short rifle.
That was when Sir Charles Ross stood up, offered his rifle and offered to build and equip a factory, all out of his own pocket. A trial with an experimental Ross, mostly made by Frank Mossberg, ensued, showing that there was some merit to the Ross idea. A contract to the new Ross Rifle Company ensued, Ross contracted to have initial rifles mostly manufactured in th US and assembled in Canada while the factory was being built and equipped.
The first demonstration of a Ross long-range rifle was at Bisley in 1907, when the rifle shattered almost EVERY standing long-range record...... and it wasn't even competing. Yet. In 1908 and every year until the beginning of the Great War, the Canadian team showed up et Bisley and set record after record after record, some of which my stand yet, even though more than a century old. The British Government was furious (as you can understand), although there was no enmity among the shooters. More Rosses, this time in English hands, started appearing at Bisley. And in 1913, the Ross Rifle came First, Second AND Third in every match in which it was entered while, at the same time, the SMLE was developing a reputation as a difficult beast to manage.
And just about that time, the Aussies decided that, being they were 15,000 miles awey, having their own rifle factory just could be a Very Good Thing.
Point is, Canadians are supposed to be nice people.... and they had set up their own factory and were turning out a world-beating rifle. And everybody, even the Poms at that time, already knew what a hard-headed lot of prickly bastards the Aussies can be, given that you get them riled-up enough. Very, VERY suddenly..... the British Government (likely not wishing to see another Ross Rifle factory, this time in Australia) gave its blessing to the Australian enterprise, offered technical assistance and anything else which might possibly be wished for....... so that Australia could build precisely the SMLE rifle which Canada had been denied. The plant at Lithgow made its first deliveries in 1912.
Two years later, the whole world was at war.
The Ross...... and the Australian plant at Lithgow.... both had come just in the nick of time.
That a concerted effort was made to discredit the Ross Rifle cannot be denied.
That the Ross was removed from Canadian combat duty for all except a few snipers, also, cannot be denied.
That the Royal Marines used the Ross Rifle successfully through TWO World Wars also cannot be denied, but it certainly is not advertised, either.
But the ultimate fate of the Ross was linked too closely to Sir Sam Hughes. Sam had championed the Ross since the first one was built. When the opposition started to the Ross, he had loudly stated that if the Ross were withdrawn, he would resign his post as Minister of Militia.
And Borden wanted Hughes GONE, there is ZERO doubt. Sam was too flamboyant, too outspoken and too HONEST to be tolerated.
And so the Ross Rifle was withdrawn and discredited.
And Sir Sam Hughes, good to his word..... resigned.
And neither one has had more than a few good words spoken or written about them since.
The Ross was dangerous junk and Sir Sam was nuts: that is the Accepted Wisdom.... even though we know better.
