1946 Australian referendum (Industrial Employment)

Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox referendum The Constitution Alteration (Industrial Employment) Bill 1946,<ref name="Industrial Employment Bill">Template:Url (Cth).</ref> was an unsuccessful proposal to alter the Australian Constitution to give the Commonwealth power to make laws regulating employment in industry. It was put to voters for approval in a referendum held on 28 September 1946. The proposals was narrowly rejected, with a minority of 1.80% in the fourth state, South Australia.Template:Refn

Question

Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Industrial Employment) 1946'?

Proposed Changes to the Constitution

The proposal was to insert into section 51 that the Parliament have power to make laws with respect to:

:(xxxiv.A.) Terms and conditions of employment in industry, but not so as to authorize any form of industrial conscription;<ref name="Industrial Employment Bill"/>

Results

ResultTemplate:HspTemplate:Refn

State	Electoral roll	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal
			Vote	%	Vote	%
New South Wales	1,858,749	1,757,150	833,822	Template:Yes	778,280	48.28	145,048
Victoria	1,345,537	1,261,374	609,355	Template:Yes	560,773	47.92	91,246
Queensland	660,316	612,170	243,242	43.42	316,970	Template:No	51,958
South Australia	420,361	399,301	179,153	48.20	192,516	Template:No	27,632
Western Australia	300,337	279,066	142,186	Template:Yes	112,881	44.26	23,999
Tasmania	154,553	144,880	52,517	41.37	74,440	Template:No	17,923
Armed forcesTemplate:HspTemplate:Efn		37,021	20,445	55.23	15,239	41.16	1337
Total for Commonwealth	4,739,853	4,453,941	2,060,275	Template:Yes	2,035,860	49.70	357,806
Results	Obtained majority in three states and an overall majority of 24,415 votes. Not carried

Discussion

This was the sixth occasion in which the commonwealth sought power to regulate terms and conditions of employment, rather than using the conciliation and arbitration power, having been unsuccessful in 1911, 1913, 1919, 1926 and 1944.Template:Refn

For a referendum to approve an amendment of the constitution, it must ordinarily achieve a double majority: approved by a majority of states (i.e., four of the six states) as well as a majority of those voting nationwide.<ref name="s128">Template:Cite Legislation AU Mode of altering the Constitution.</ref> This was the third of five referendums (Template:As of) to achieve an overall majority, but fail the requirement of a majority of states.<ref>Handbook of the 44th Parliament (2014) {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• Politics of Australia
• History of Australia

Further reading

• Standing Committee on Legislative and Constitutional Affairs (1997) Constitutional Change: Select sources on Constitutional change in Australia 1901–1997 Template:Webarchive. Australian Government Printing Service, Canberra.
• Bennett, Scott (2003). Research Paper no. 11 2002–03: The Politics of Constitutional Amendment Template:Webarchive Australian Department of the Parliamentary Library, Canberra.
• Australian Electoral Commission (2007) Referendum Dates and Results 1906 – Present AEC, Canberra.

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