1898–1900 Australian constitutional referendums

A series of referendums on the proposed constitution of Australia were held between 2 June 1898 and 31 July 1900 in the six colonies that were to become the states of the Commonwealth of Australia.[1] The first four referendums were held in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria in June 1898.[1] Although all four saw a majority vote in favour, the majority in New South Wales was insufficient.[1] Knowledge of the result in New South Wales led to low voter turnout in South Australia.

Following a series of amendments made to the proposed constitution at the Secret Premiers meeting on 31 January and 1 February 1899, a second referendum was required in the four states, whilst on 2 September, Queensland held a referendum on the constitution for the first time. All five states saw a majority vote in favour.

Three weeks after the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act became law in 1900, Western Australia held a referendum on the constitution,[1] which was also approved. The constitution came into force on 1 January 1901.[2]

Background

South Australia

Residents of South Australia were staunchly opposed to federation in the mid-19th century due to the dominance of the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales in issues such as trade and tariffs, as well as a desire to keep unique elements of South Australia intact.[3] The mood had shifted by the 1890s, with what was seen as the looming inevitability of federation a motivator to negotiating a good deal for the less populous colonies, with the argument by the Yes campaign that they may never have such favourable terms again.[4] The No campaign however focused on the potential for increased costs for South Australians, as well as decreased land values.[5]

Results

1898 referendums

Results by colony of the 1898 referendums

State	Date	For		Against		Total	Turnout
State	Date	Votes	%	Votes	%	Total	Turnout
Tasmania	3 June 1898	11,797	81.29	2,716	18.71	14,513	25.0
New South Wales	4 June 1898	71,595	51.95	66,228	48.05	137,823	43.5
South Australia	4 June 1898	35,800	67.39	17,320	20.54	53,120	30.9
Victoria	4 June 1898	100,520	81.98	22,099	18.02	122,619	50.3
Source: Federation Fact Sheet 1 – The Referendums 1898–1900, AEC

1899 and 1900 referendums

Results by colony of the 1899-1900 referendums

State	Date	For		Against		Total	Turnout
State	Date	Votes	%	Votes	%	Total	Turnout
South Australia	29 April 1899	65,990	79.46	17,053	20.54	83,043	54.4
New South Wales	28 June 1899	107,420	56.49	82,741	43.51	190,161	63.4
Tasmania	27 July 1899	13,437	94.40	797	5.60	14,234	41.8
Victoria	27 July 1899	152,653	93.96	9,805	6.04	162,458	56.3
Queensland	28 September 1899	38,488	55.39	30,996	44.61	69,484	54.4
Western Australia	31 July 1900	44,800	69.47	19,691	30.53	64,491	67.1
Source: Federation Fact Sheet 1 – The Referendums 1898–1900, AEC

References

Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK) Museum of Australian Democracy
Australia, 31 July 1900: Constitution Direct Democracy (in German)
David Brooks; Dr Zoe Gill; Dr John Weste (eds.). "South Australian Referenda, 1896-1991" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-09. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
"Commonwealth League Advertisement". Retrieved 6 December 2011.
"Anti-Commonwealth Bill League Advertisement". Retrieved 6 December 2011.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[MAD-1] Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK) Museum of Australian Democracy

[DD-2] Australia, 31 July 1900: Constitution Direct Democracy (in German)

[3] David Brooks; Dr Zoe Gill; Dr John Weste (eds.). "South Australian Referenda, 1896-1991" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-09. Retrieved 6 December 2011.

[4] "Commonwealth League Advertisement". Retrieved 6 December 2011.

[5] "Anti-Commonwealth Bill League Advertisement". Retrieved 6 December 2011.

Elections and referendums in Queensland
General elections	1860 1863 1867 1868 1870 1871 1873 1878 1883 1888 1893 1896 1899 1902 1904 1907 1908 1909 1912 1915 1918 1920 1923 1926 1929 1932 1935 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1957 1960 1963 1966 1969 1972 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2006 2009 2012 2015 2017 2020 2024 by-elections
Referendums	1899 1910 1917 1920 1923 1991 1992 2016

Elections and referendums in South Australia
General elections	1851 1855 1857 1860 1862 1865 1868 1870 1871 1875 1878 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1896 1899 1902 1905 1906 1910 1912 1915 1918 1921 1924 1927 1930 1933 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1970 1973 1975 1977 1979 1982 1985 1989 1993 1997 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 by-elections
Referendums	1896 1898 1899 1911 1915 1965 1970 1982 1991
Legislative Council elections	1861 1865 1869 1873 1877 1882 1885 1888 1891 1894 1897 1900

Elections and referendums in Tasmania
General elections	1856 1861 1862 1866 1871 1872 1877 1882 1886 1891 1893 1897 1900 1903 1906 1909 1912 1913 1916 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1941 1946 1948 1950 1955 1956 1959 1964 1969 1972 1976 1979 1982 1986 1989 1992 1996 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 Next
Legislative Council elections	1909 ... 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Referendums	1898 1899 1916 1968 1981

Elections and referendums in Victoria
General elections	1856 1859 1861 1864 1866 1868 1871 1874 1877 1880 (Feb) 1880 (Jul) 1883 1886 1889 1892 1894 1897 1900 1902 1904 1907 1908 1911 1914 1917 1920 1921 1924 1927 1929 1932 1935 1937 1940 1943 1945 1947 1950 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1992 1996 1999 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 by-elections
Upper house-only elections	1851 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1889 1890 1892 1894 1895 1896 1898 1900 1901 1902 1904 1907 1910 1913 1916 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1940 1943 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958
Referendums	1898 1899
Aboriginal	2019

Elections and referendums in Western Australia
General elections	1890 1894 1897 1901 1904 1905 1908 1911 1914 1917 1921 1924 1927 1930 1933 1936 1939 1943 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1993 1996 2001 2005 2008 2013 2017 2021 by-elections
Legislative Council elections	1894 1896 1897 1898 1900 (Apr) 1900 (Sep) 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962
Referendums	1900 1911 1921 1925 1933 1950 1975 1984 1992 2005 2009