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Home | Referendums and Plebiscites | Referendum results 1974

Referendum results

18 May 1974

(29) Simultaneous Elections; (30) Mode of Altering the Constitution; (31) Democratic Elections; (32) Local Government Bodies

Question 1

Proposed law entitled 'An Act to alter the Constitution so as to ensure that Senate elections are held at the same time as House of Representatives elections'.

Do you approve the proposed law?

House and Senate elections need not be held simultaneously, though they usually are. Constitution Alteration (Simultaneous Elections) 1974 proposed to make simultaneous elections compulsory.

Result
State Number on rolls Ballot papers issued For Against Informal
  %   %
New South Wales 2 834 558 2 702 903 1 359 485 51.06 1 303 117 48.94 40 301
Victoria 2 161 474 2 070 893 1 001 111 49.19 1 033 969 50.81 35 813
Queensland 1 154 762 1 098 401 481 092 44.32 604 444 55.68 12 865
South Australia 750 308 722 434 332 369 47.14 372 666 52.86 17 399
Western Australia 612 016 577 989 248 860 44.07 315 786 55.93 13 343
Tasmania 246 596 237 891 96 793 41.37 137 156 58.63 3 942
Total for Commonwealth 7 759 714 7 410 511 3 519 710 48.30 3 767 138 51.70 123 663
Obtained majority in one State and an overall minority of 247 428 votes.
Not carried

Question 2

Proposed law entitled 'An Act to facilitate alterations to the Constitution and to allow electors in territories, as well as electors in the states, to vote at referendums on proposed laws to alter the Constitution'.

Do you approve the proposed law?

Constitution Alteration (Mode of Altering the Constitution) 1974 sought to make two alterations to section 128. The first was to provide electors in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory with the right to vote in constitutional referendums. The second was to enable amendments to be made to the Constitution if approved by a majority of Australian voters and a majority of voters in half the States.

Result
State Number on rolls Ballot papers issued For Against Informal
  %   %
New South Wales 2 834 558 2 702 903 1 367 476 51.35 1 295 621 48.65 39 806
Victoria 2 161 474 2 070 893 1 001 753 49.22 1 033 486 50.78 35 654
Queensland 1 154 762 1 098 401 480 926 44.29 604 816 55.71 12 659
South Australia 750 308 722 434 311 954 44.26 392 891 55.74 17 589
Western Australia 612 016 577 989 240 134 42.53 324 435 57.47 13 420
Tasmania 246 596 237 891 95 264 40.72 138 674 59.28 3 953
Total for Commonwealth 7 759 714 7 410 511 3 497 507 47.99 3 789 923 52.01 123 081
Obtained majority in one State and an overall minority of 292 416 votes.
Not carried

Question 3

Proposed law entitled 'An Act to alter the Constitution so as to ensure that the members of the House of Representatives and of the parliaments of the states are chosen directly and democratically by the people'.

Do you approve the proposed law?

Constitution Alteration (Democratic Elections) 1974 sought to make population instead of electors the basis of determining the average size of electorates in each State.

Result
State Number on rolls Ballot papers issued For Against Informal
  %   %
New South Wales 2 834 558 2 702 903 1 345 983 50.55 1 316 837 49.45 40 083
Victoria 2 161 474 2 070 893 970 903 47.71 1 064 023 52.29 35 967
Queensland 1 154 762 1 098 401 474 337 43.70 611 135 56.30 12 929
South Australia 750 308 722 434 310 839 44.11 393 857 55.89 17 738
Western Australia 612 016 577 989 241 946 42.86 322 587 57.14 13 456
Tasmania 246 596 237 891 95 463 40.81 138 430 59.19 3 998
Total for Commonwealth 7 759 714 7 410 511 3 439 471 47.20 3 846 869 52.80 124 171
Obtained majority in one State and an overall minority of 407 398 votes.
Not carried

Question 4

Proposed law entitled 'An Act to alter the Constitution to enable the Commonwealth to borrow money for, and to grant financial assistance to, local government bodies'.

Do you approve the proposed law?

Constitution Alteration (Local Government Bodies) 1974 sought to give the Commonwealth Parliament powers to borrow money for, and to make financial assistance grants directly to, any local government body.

Result
State Number on rolls Ballot papers issued For Against Informal
  %   %
New South Wales 2 834 558 2 702 903 1 350 274 50.79 1 308 039 49.21 44 590
Victoria 2 161 474 2 070 893 961 664 47.38 1 068 120 52.62 41 109
Queensland 1 154 762 1 098 401 473 465 43.68 610 537 56.32 14 399
South Australia 750 308 722 434 298 489 42.52 403 479 57.48 20 466
Western Australia 612 016 577 989 229 337 40.67 334 529 59.33 14 123
Tasmania 246 596 237 891 93 495 40.03 140 073 59.97 4 323
Total for Commonwealth 7 759 714 7 410 511 3 406 724 46.85 3 864 777 53.15 139 010
Obtained majority in one State and an overall minority of 458 053 votes.
Not carried

 

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