1991 New South Wales referendum

Australian regional legislature reform referendum June 2020 December 2020 50px 1991 New South Wales referendum Legislative Council reform Vote green left 48 Yes green right 48 57.7% font-size: 150% No 42.3% 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: reduce the total number of members from 45 to 42; reduce the term of members from three to two terms of the Legislative Assembly, reducing the maximum term from 12 to 8 years; and increase the number of members elected at each election from 15 to 21, the effect of this was that the quota of votes to be elected would be reduced from 6.25% to 4.55%. require casual vacancies to be filled by appointment of a candidate nominated by the same political party.https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/acts/1991-20.pdf Constitution (Legislative Council) Amendment Act 1991 No 20 Legislation.nsw.gov.au 2020-12-10http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/bill_en/ccab1991458/ccab1991458.html Explanatory note: Constitution (Legislative Council) Amendment Bill 1991 AustLII 2020-12-10 The transitional arrangements were that from the 1991 election, the council would consist of: the 15 members elected at the 1991 election; the 15 members elected at the 1988 election; and the first 12 members elected at the 1984 election. From the next election, scheduled to be in 1995, the council would consist of: the 21 members elected at the 1995 election; the 15 members elected at the 1991 election; the first 6 members elected at the 1988 election. Results + Resulthttps://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231901956 Result of referendum: Legislative Council reform Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales 94 20 June 1991 10 December 2020 4773 TroveNSWEC Results 1991 NSW Referendum - 25 May 1981 http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/results/referendums_and_polls/state/25_may_1991 New South Wales Electoral Commission https://web.archive.org/web/20110311224918/http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/results/referendums_and_polls/state/25_may_1991 11 March 2011 deadThere is a difference of less than 300 votes in the results published in the Gazette and those subsequently published by the Electoral Commission. The results from the Gazette have been used. Question Votes % Legislative Council reform Yes 1,864,293 green right 48 57.73 No 1,364,840 42.27 Total Formal 3,229,133 95.02 Informal 169,417 4.98 TurnoutBased on a roll of 3,631,618: 1991 election totals 1991 Totals 2020-12-10 3,400,092 93.58 Legislative Council referendums This was the fourth referendum in New South Wales on the subject of the Legislative Council. 1933 New South Wales referendum Subsequent referendums table See also Referendums in New South Wales Referendums in Australia Government of New South Wales Notes References autocollapse Category:1991 elections in Australia Category:1991 referendums Category:Referendums in New South Wales Category:1991 in New South Wales Category:May 1991 in Australia