128. This Constitution shall
not be altered except in the following manner: —
The proposed law for the alteration
thereof must be passed by an absolute majority of each House of
the Parliament, and not less than two nor more than six months
after its passage through both Houses the proposed law shall be
submitted in each State and Territory to the electors qualified
to vote for the election of members of the House of Representatives.
But if either House passes any such
proposed law by an absolute majority, and the other House rejects
or fails to pass it, or passes it with any amendment to which
the first-mentioned House will not agree, and if after an interval
of three months the first-mentioned House in the same or the next session again passes
the proposed law by an absolute majority with or without any amendment
which has been made or agreed to by the other House, and such
other House rejects or fails to pass it or passes it with any
amendment to which the first-mentioned House will not agree, the
Governor-General may submit the proposed law as last proposed
by the first-mentioned House, and either with or without any amendments
subsequently agreed to by both Houses, to the electors in each
State and Territory qualified to vote for the election
of the House of Representatives.
When a proposed law is submitted
to the electors the vote shall be taken in such manner as the
Parliament prescribes. But until the qualification of electors
of members of the House of Representatives becomes uniform throughout
the Commonwealth, only one-half the electors voting for and against
the proposed law shall be counted in any State in which adult
suffrage prevails.
And if in a majority of the States
a majority of the electors voting approve the proposed law, and
if a majority of all the electors voting also approve the proposed
law, it shall be presented to the Governor-General for the Queen’s
assent.
No alteration diminishing the proportionate
representation of any State in either House of the Parliament,
or the minimum number of representatives of a State in the House
of Representatives, or increasing, diminishing, or otherwise altering
the limits of the State, or in any manner affecting the provisions
of the Constitution in relation thereto, shall become law unless
the majority of the electors voting in that State approve the
proposed law.
