1944 Australian Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights referendum

The 1944 Australian Referendum was held on 19 August 1944. It contained one referendum question.

Question

Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights) 1944'?

(16) Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights (not carried)

Proposed Amendment

Constitution Alteration (Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights) 1944 was known as the "14 powers", or the "14 points referendum". It sought to give the federal government power over a period of five years to legislate on a wide variety of matters.[1]

The 14 Powers

The powers the government sought to gain included:

The rehabilitation of former servicemen
National health
Family allowances
Employment and unemployment
The ability to legislate for indigenous Australians
Corporations, or combines
Foreign investment
Trust laws
Monopolies
Air transport,
Uniformity of railway gauges
Marketing of commodities
Manufacturing (production) and sales of goods
National infrastructure (subject to state approval)

Many of these powers also included limitations as safeguards against the abuse of legislative power.

Restrictions on Government power

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech and Freedom of Expression were restrictions on state and government power which the commonwealth sought to legislate on.

Freedom of religion

The government also sought to apply the right to freedom of religion over state governments.[2]

Referendum

All of these points (the proposed heads of power and restrictions on power) were put to referendum in the form of a single question. It is notable that the points referring to corporations, trusts, combines, and monopolies had been previously put to referendum, and had not been carried.

The 14 proposals covered the participation of the federal government in postwar reconstruction, including control over employment, profiteering and prices, and related subjects. [3]

For and Against

The proposal was put forward and supported by the Australian Labor Party government. It was opposed by the federal opposition (United Australia Party and the Country Party).

For

The Prime Minister John Curtin gave his broadcast to the nation on 25 July 1944. The Prime Minister said to abandon wartime controls on the declaration of peace would cause disorganization to the social system and destroy the capacity of the system to meet the need of the first few disturbed years after the war.[4]

Against

The Country Party leader, Arthur Fadden, gave his broadcast against the motion stating : Its proposal means that in peacetime, you will work under government compulsion, you will eat and wear what the bureaucrats ration out to you: you will live in mass-produced government dwellings: and your children will work wherever the bureaucrats tell them to work! If granted nothing can be made, produced, built or grown without permission. Everything that is grown or made, carried or carted, sold or exchanged will be under government control. A yes vote would enable the Government to implement Labour's policy of socialization. Nationalization of Industry would follow.[5]

Results