1946 Australian referendum (Marketing)

Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox referendum The Constitution Alteration (Organised Marketing of Primary Products) Bill 1946,<ref name="Marketing Bill">Template:Url (Cth).</ref> was an unsuccessful proposal to alter the Australian Constitution to give the Commonwealth explicit power to make laws for the organised marketing of primary products and to exempt it from the freedom of interstate trade requirement of section 92 of the constitution. It was put to voters for approval in a referendum held on 28 September 1946.

Question

Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled "Constitution Alteration (Organised Marketing of Primary Products) 1946"?

Proposed Changes to the Constitution

The proposal was to insert into section 51 the following:

51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have Legislative power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:

...

(i.A.) Organized marketing of primary products;

...

(2.) The power of the Parliament to make laws under paragraph (i.A.) of the last preceding sub-section may be exercised notwithstanding anything contained in section ninety-two of this Constitution.<ref name="Marketing Bill"/>

Results

ResultTemplate:HspTemplate:Refn

State	Electoral roll	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal
			Vote	%	Vote	%
New South Wales	1,858,749	1,757,150	855,233	Template:Yes	794,852	48.17	107,065
Victoria	1,345,537	1,261,374	624,343	Template:Yes	567,860	47.63	69,171
Queensland	660,316	612,170	251,672	43.74	323,678	Template:No	36,820
South Australia	420,361	399,301	183,674	48.74	193,201	Template:No	22,426
Western Australia	300,337	279,066	145,781	Template:Yes	113,562	43.79	19,723
Tasmania	154,553	144,880	55,561	42.55	75,018	Template:No	14,301
Armed forcesTemplate:HspTemplate:Efn		37,021	19,924	53.81	15,997	43.21	986
Total for Commonwealth	4,739,853	4,453,941	2,116,264	Template:Yes	2,068,171	49.43	269,506
Results	Obtained majority in three states and an overall majority of 48,093 votes. Not carried

Discussion

This was the third occasion in which the commonwealth sought power to enact legislative schemes for the marketing of agricultural produce, having been unsuccessful in 1937 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 second 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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