A referendum concerning reform of the New South Wales Legislative Council was put to New South Wales voters on 25 May 1991. The referendum coincided with that year's New South Wales general election. The change passed comfortably.
The text of the question was:
Do you approve of the Bill entitled 'A Bill for an Act:
(a) to reduce the number of politicians in the Legislative Council and to reduce their maximum term of office; and
(b) to apply to the Legislative Council the same method of filling casual vacancies as applies to the Senate ?
Amendments to the constitution.
At the time of the referendum, the Legislative Council consisted of 45 members, with 15 members elected at each election and members serving for three terms of the Legislative Assembly, giving a maximum term of 12 years. If a casual vacancy arose, the member was replaced by the next unelected candidate and it was only if the candidates were exhausted that the party could nominate a candidate at the election was declared.
The headline changes by the proposal were to alter the Constitution Act 1902 to:
The transitional arrangements were that from the 1991 election, the council would consist of:
From the next election, scheduled to be in 1995, the council would consist of:
Legislative Council referendums.
This was the fourth referendum in New South Wales on the subject of the Legislative Council.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;