1919 Australian referendum (Monopolies)

Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox referendum The Constitution Alteration (Nationalization of Monopolies) Bill 1919,<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />

Results

ResultTemplate:HspTemplate:Refn

State	Electoral roll	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal
			Vote	%	Vote	%
New South Wales	1,079,439	717,565	227,156	38.31	365,847	Template:No	124,330
Victoria	837,408	638,098	324,343	Template:Yes	188,129	36.71	124,834
Queensland	389,200	330,231	162,062	Template:Yes	122,650	43.08	45,209
South Australia	268,235	178,092	38,503	25.54	112,259	Template:No	27,203
Western Australia	163,544	103,235	45,285	Template:Yes	38,584	46.01	19,019
Tasmania	112,036	65,716	16,531	34.08	31,982	Template:No	16,985
Total for Commonwealth	2,849,862	2,032,937	813,880	48.64	859,451	Template:No	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

1. REDIRECT Template:Australian elections

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