12.2 Protecting the Australian Constitution - 1999 Referendum Flashcards
What is the 1999 referendums’ relevance?
- upholds the double majority requirement
What are the sections relevant to the 1999 referendum?
Section 128
What are the facts of the 1999 referendum?
In the early 1990s, the then-prime minister Paul Keating expressed a desire for a republic in time for the Centenary of the Federation. The Coalition parties, led by John Howard established the 1998 Constitutional Convention. The Convention proposed a change from the monarchy being the head of state to a president and for Australia to become a republic
What were the proposals put to the public in the 1999 referendum?
- For Australia to become a republic
- To change the preamble to the Constitution
What is a preamble?
The introductory part of a statute that outlines its purpose and aims
What changes would Australia becoming a republic do?
- make a president head of state
- setting out the mechanism for selecting a president
- establishing the powers of a president
- establishing the term of office and power for removal of the president
- removing monarchical references from the Constitution
What were the 1999 referendum’s results?
The first question, the establishment of a republic, was rejected by 54.87%, while the second question was rejected by 60.66%
What were the reasons for the failure of the referendum?
- Australians are traditionally cautious of constitutional change
- constitutional monarchy provides a stable government
- the president should be elected by the people rather than being chosen by 2/3 majority of the Commonwealth Parliament
- Prime Minster John Howard of the Liberal Party urged a “no” vote on grounds of maintaining ties o Britain
What is the significance of the 1999 referendum?
The Australian people protected the Constitution from being changed in a way that would shift traditional ties to the UK and deny ordinary Australians the choice to choose the President of the nation
