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1919 Australian referendum (Monopolies)
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October 2021
October 2021
Australian Nationalisation of Industries referendum, 1919 Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled —"Constitution Alteration (Nationalisation of Monopolies) 1919" ? 1919 12 19 y Australia 813,880 859,451 357,580 2,849,862 Amendment Failed
The Constitution Alteration (Nationalization of Monopolies) Bill 1919,https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004B02563 Constitution Alteration (Nationalization of Monopolies) Bill 1919 legislation.gov.au 22 April 2019 was an unsuccessful Australian referendum seeking to alter the Australian Constitution to extend the government's power to legislate in respect of monopolies. The question was put to a referendum in 1919, held in conjunction with the 1919 federal election.
Question
Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled —
"Constitution Alteration (Nationalisation of Monopolies) 1919"?
Prosposed Changes to the Constituation
The proposal was to alter the text of section 51 of the Constitution as reads as follows:
51a.—(1.) The Parliament shall have power to make laws for carrying on by or under the control of the Commonwealth, the industry or business of producing, manufacturing, or supplying any specified goods, or of supplying any specified services, and for acquiring for that purpose on just terms the assets and goodwill of the industry or business, where each House of the Parliament has in the same Session, by resolution passed by an absolute majority of its members, referred to the High Court, for inquiry and report by a Justice thereof, the question whether the industry or business is the subject of a monopoly, and where, after the report of the Justice has been received, each House of the Parliament has, in one Session, by resolution passed by an absolute majority of its members, declared that the industry or business is the subject of a monopoly.
Results
+ ResultHandbook State Electoral roll Ballots issued For Against Informal Vote % Vote % New South Wales
1,079,439
717,565
227,156
38.31
365,847
61.69
124,330 Victoria
837,408
638,098
324,343
63.29
188,129
36.71
124,834 Queensland
389,200
330,231
162,062
56.92
122,650
43.08
45,209 South Australia
268,235
178,092
38,503
25.54
112,259
74.46
27,203 Western Australia
163,544
103,235
45,285
53.99
38,584
46.01
19,019 Tasmania
112,036
65,716
16,531
34.08
31,982
65.92
16,985 Total for Commonwealth
2,849,862
2,032,937
813,880
48.64
859,451
51.36
357,580 Results Obtained majority in three states and an overall minority of 45,571 votes. Not carried
Discussion
The 1919 Australian Referendum on Monopolies was the third and final time that such a question would be asked and put to voter, ultimately failing to pass each time.
1911 referendum on trade and commerce, industrial relations and monopolies
1913 referendum on monopolies
See also
Referendums in Australia
Politics of Australia
References
Handbook Handbook of the 44th Parliament (2014) http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fnewhandbook%2F2014-10-31%2F0049%22 Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites - Referendum results Parliamentary Library of Australia
1919
Category:1919 referendums
Referendum (Monopolies)
1919 (Monopolies)