1913_Australian_referendum_(Industrial_Matters)
The Constitution Alteration (Industrial Matters) Bill 1912,[1] was an unsuccessful referendum held in 1913 that sought to alter the Australian Constitution to give the Commonwealth legislative power in respect to industrial matters.
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Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled — "Constitution Alteration (Industrial Matters) 1912" ? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Industrial Matters) 1912'?
The proposal was to alter the text of section 51 of the Constitution to read as follows:[2]
51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have Legislative power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:
(xxxv.)
Conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State:
- Labour, and employment, and unemployment, including-
- (a) the terms and conditions of labour and employment in any trade, industry, occupation, or calling;
- (b) the rights and obligations of employers and employés;
- (c) strikes and lockouts;
- (d) the maintenance of industrial peace; and
- (e) the settlement of industrial disputes.
| State | Electoral roll | Ballots issued | For | Against | Informal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote | % | Vote | % | |||||
| New South Wales | 1,036,187 | 717,855 | 318,622 | 46.88 | 361,044 | 53.12 | 36,933 | |
| Victoria | 830,391 | 626,861 | 297,892 | 49.02 | 309,804 | 50.98 | 18,837 | |
| Queensland | 363,082 | 280,525 | 147,171 | 54.36 | 123,554 | 45.64 | 9,579 | |
| South Australia | 244,026 | 195,463 | 96,626 | 51.40 | 91,361 | 48.60 | 7,259 | |
| Western Australia | 179,784 | 132,149 | 66,451 | 52.71 | 59,612 | 47.29 | 5,753 | |
| Tasmania | 106,746 | 80,398 | 34,839 | 45.20 | 42,236 | 54.80 | 3,197 | |
| Total for Commonwealth | 2,760,216 | 2,033,251 | 961,601 | 49.33 | 987,611 | 50.67 | 81,558 | |
| Results | Obtained majority in three states and an overall minority of 26,010 votes. Not carried | |||||||
The 1911 referendum asked a single question that dealt with trade and commerce, corporations and industrial matters. This resolution separated each of those matters into a different question. Like its forebear, none of these resolutions were carried. On each of the many occasions a similar question was asked at a referendum the public decided not to vest power in the Commonwealth over these matters.[4]
- "Constitution Alteration (Industrial Matters) Bill". Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via legislation.gov.au.
- "Notification of the receipt of a Writ for a Referendum". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. No. 30. 25 April 1913. pp. 1097–8 – via www.legislation.gov.au..
- "Result of the Referendum". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. No. 55. 2 August 1913. p. 1792 – via www.legislation.gov.au.
- Handbook of the 44th Parliament (2014) "Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites - Referendum results". Parliamentary Library of Australia.
- Standing Committee on Legislative and Constitutional Affairs (1997) Constitutional Change: Select sources on Constitutional change in Australia 1901–1997. Australian Government Printing Service, Canberra.
- Bennett, Scott (2003). Research Paper no. 11 2002–03: The Politics of Constitutional Amendment Australian Department of the Parliamentary Library, Canberra.
- Australian Electoral Commission (2007) Referendum Dates and Results 1906 – Present AEC, Canberra.