While William Lyne, in his role as the first Minister for Home Affairs, had been working on a draft Bill as early as January 1901 to establish the Commission, fiscal pressures brought on by the Braddon Clause discouraged efforts to assure its passage before 1911, as its establishment was viewed to be a luxury. Lobbying efforts by the Australian shipping industry, incensed that the Commission's scope would include ocean navigation, also contributed to the delay. As a result, the initial Bill lapsed in 1902.