Appendix B Successful Referendums in Australian History Subject/Proposal Issue of Polling Result States % of Writ Day that Votes Voted in in Favour Favour 8 12 Carried All 82.65 Senate Elections To enable elections for both November December Houses to be held concurrently 1906 1906 State Debts 28 13 April Carried All 54.95 To give the Commonwealth February 1910 except unrestricted power to take over 1910 NSW State debts State Debts 9 October 17 Carried All 74.30 to end the system of per capita 1928 November payments which have been made 1928 by the Commonwealth to the States since 1910, and to restrict the right of each State to borrow for its own development by subjecting that borrowing to control by a loan council Social Services 21 August 28 Carried All 54.39 to give the Commonwealth power 1946 September to legislate on a wide range of 1946 social services *Aboriginals 28 April 27 May Carried All 90.77 to enable the Commonwealth to 1967 1967 enact laws for Aborigines. To remove the prohibition against counting aboriginal people in population counts in the Commonwealth or a State. *Senate Casual Vacancies 27 April 21 May Carried All 73.32 to ensure, as far as practicable, 1977 1977 that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party as the Senator chosen by the people, and that the person shall hold the seat for the balance of the term
Appendix B Successful Referendums in Australian History Subject/Proposal Issue of Writ Polling Day Result States that Voted in Favour % of Votes in Favour Senate Elections To enable elections for both Houses to be held concurrently 8 November 1906 12 December 1906 Carried All 82.65 State Debts To give the Commonwealth unrestricted power to take over State debts 28 February 1910 13 April 1910 Carried All except NSW 54.95 State Debts to end the system of per capita payments which have been made by the Commonwealth to the States since 1910, and to restrict the right of each State to borrow for its own development by subjecting that borrowing to control by a loan council 9 October 1928 17 November 1928 Carried All 74.30 Social Services to give the Commonwealth power to legislate on a wide range of social services 21 August 1946 28 September 1946 Carried All 54.39 *Aboriginals to enable the Commonwealth to enact laws for Aborigines. To remove the prohibition against counting aboriginal people in population counts in the Commonwealth or a State. 28 April 1967 27 May 1967 Carried All 90.77 *Senate Casual Vacancies to ensure, as far as practicable, that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party as the Senator chosen by the people, and that the person shall hold the seat for the balance of the term 27 April 1977 21 May 1977 Carried All 73.32