Selection is the act of choosing and acquiring a subdivided tract of land for farming purposes in Australia.
In any case severe drought in the Riverina in the late 1860s initially discouraged selection in areas except those close to established townships.
However discontent was rife and a political shift in the early 1880s saw the setting up of a commission to inquire into the effects of the land legislation.
The Morris and Ranken committee of inquiry, which reported in 1883, found that the number of homesteads established was a small percentage of the applications for selections under the Act, especially in areas of low rainfall such as the Riverina and the lower Darling River.
The greater number of selections were made by squatters or their agents, or by selectors unable to establish themselves or who sought to gain by re-sale.
The initial political contest was between pastoralists and selectors led by the "town liberals" who desired that immigrants have an equitable right to small land holdings.
[3] In South Australia Premier Henry Strangways passed the Strangways Land Act in January 1869 despite conflict with pastoralists, which provided for the creation of agricultural areas and credit purchases of up to 640 acres (259 ha), with a down payment of 25 per cent and four years to pay.
By the end of the period, to obtain title to the land, settlers would have had to pay the balance of the purchase price and make certain improvements.