Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardChanging the Constitution: Referendums

A proposal to amend the Australian Constitution is put to a referendum. The following table summarizes the voting results across the nation:

RegionMajority Vote Result
National Total**Yes (51.2%51.2\%)**
New South WalesYes
VictoriaYes
QueenslandYes
South AustraliaNo
Western AustraliaNo
TasmaniaNo
Australian Capital TerritoryYes (72%72\%)
Northern TerritoryYes (68%68\%)

Based on these results and the requirements set out in the Australian Constitution, what is the outcome for the proposed amendment?

  1. The amendment fails because it did not achieve a 'Yes' vote in a majority of the states, despite achieving a national majority.Answer
  2. B
    The amendment passes because it achieved a majority of the total national vote, which is the primary requirement for constitutional change.
  3. C
    The amendment passes because the combined 'Yes' votes from three states and two territories satisfy the requirement for a majority of Australian jurisdictions.

Answer

The amendment fails because it did not achieve a 'Yes' vote in a majority of the states, despite achieving a national majority.
The correct answer identifies that the referendum fails. Under Section 128 of the Constitution, an amendment must receive a 'double majority': more than 50%50\% of all voters nationwide AND a majority of voters in at least four of the six states. In this scenario, while the national majority (51.2%51.2\%) was met, only three states (New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland) voted 'Yes.' Since three is not a majority of the six states, the referendum fails. The high 'Yes' votes in the territories count toward the national total but do not help meet the state-majority requirement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the first requirement of the 'double majority': the national majority.
The national 'Yes' vote is 51.2%51.2\%, which is greater than 50%50\%.
The first hurdle is for more than half of all Australian voters to approve the change.
2
Evaluate the second requirement: the majority of states.
There are 6 states in Australia. A majority is at least 4 states.
The Constitution requires a majority of voters in a majority of states (44 out of 66) to approve the change.
3
Determine which regions count as 'States' for the state-majority tally.
Only NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, and TAS are states. The ACT and NT are territories.
While territory residents vote in the national total, their jurisdictions do not count toward the 'majority of states' requirement.
4
Count the number of states that voted 'Yes'.
3 states (NSW, VIC, QLD) voted 'Yes'.
Since 3 is not a majority of 6, the second requirement of the double majority fails.

Key Concept

The Double Majority Requirement for Constitutional Change

Hints

1
Recall that a referendum requires a 'double majority' to pass. Check if both conditions were met in the table.
2
There are exactly six states in Australia. How many of those six must vote 'Yes' for the 'majority of states' requirement to be satisfied?
3
Residents of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have their votes counted in the national total, but do they count as 'states' when calculating the majority of states?

Practice More

Review the 1977 Constitutional Referendum which allowed territory residents to vote in referendums for the first time.
Estimated Time:3m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Changing the Constitution: Referendums

More questions from this topic