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1911 Australian referendum (Trade and Commerce)

{{Use Australian English|date=October 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

{{infobox referendum

| name = 1911 Australian Trade and Commerce referendum

| title = Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled —

"Constitution Alteration (Legislative Powers) 1910" ?

| date = {{start date|1911|04|26|df=y}}

| country = Australia

| yes = 483,356

| no = 742,704

| invalid = 20,869

| electorate = 2,341,624

| outcome =

}}

The Constitution Alteration (Legislative Powers) Bill 1910,{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004B02131 |title=Constitution Alteration (Legislative Powers) Bill 1910 |via=legislation.gov.au |access-date=22 April 2019}} was put to voters for approval in a referendum held in the 1911 referendums. The bill sought to alter the Australian Constitution to extend the Commonwealth power in respect of trade and commerce, the control of corporations, labour and employment and combinations and monopolies. All of the proposed changes were contained within the one question.

Question

Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Legislative Powers) 1910'?

The proposal was to alter the text of section 51 of the Constitution to read as follows:{{cite news |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/file/1911GN17 |title=Notification of the receipt of a Writ for a Referendum |work=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette |via=www.legislation.gov.au |date=19 March 1911 |number=17 |pages=759–60}}

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.) Trade and commerce with other countries, and among the States;

:...

:(xx.) Foreign corporations, and trading or financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth:

::Corporations, including

:::(a) the creation, dissolution, regulation, and control of corporations;

:::(b) corporations formed under the law of a State (except any corporation formed solely for religious, charitable, scientific or artistic purposes, and not for the acquisition of gain by the corporation or its members), including their dissolution, regulation, and control ; and

:::(c) foreign corporations, including their regulation and control:

:...

:(xxxv.) Conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State:

::Labour and employment, including

:::(a) the wages and conditions of labour and employment in any trade industry or calling; and

:::(b) the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes, including disputes in relation to employment on or about railways the property of any State':

:...

:(xl.) Combinations and monopolies in relation to the production, manufacture, or supply of goods or services.

Results

The referendum was not approved by a majority of voters, and a majority of the voters was achieved in only one state, Western Australia.{{refn|name=Gazette}}{{refn|name=Handbook}}Question: Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Legislative Powers) 1910'?

class="wikitable"

|+ Result{{hsp}}{{refn|name=Handbook}}

align=center

! rowspan="2" | State

! rowspan="2" | Electoral roll

! rowspan="2" | Ballots issued

! align=center colspan="2" | For

! align=center colspan="2" | Against

! align=center rowspan="2" | Informal

align=center | Vote

! align=center | %

! align=center | Vote

! align=center | %

align="right"

! style="text-align:left;" | New South Wales

| 868,194

| 384,188

| 135,968

| 36.11

| 240,605

| {{No|63.89}}

| 7,396

---- align="right"

! style="text-align:left;" | Victoria

| 723,377

| 448,566

| 170,288

| 38.64

| 270,390

| {{no|61.36}}

| 7,554

---- align="right"

! style="text-align:left" | Queensland

| 293,003

| 162,135

| 69,552

| 43.75

| 89,420

| {{no|56.25}}

| 3,002

---- align="right"

! style="text-align:left" | South Australia

| 216,027

| 133,802

| 50,358

| 38.07

| 81,904

| {{no|61.93}}

| 1,374

---- align="right"

! style="text-align:left" | Western Australia

| 138,697

| 61,482

| 33,043

| {{yes|54.86}}

| 27,185

| 45.14

| 870

---- align="right"

! style="text-align:left" | Tasmania

| 102,326

| 58,053

| 24,147

| 42.11

| 33,200

| {{no|57.89}}

| 673

bgcolor=#FFE0C0 align="right"

! style="text-align:left;"| Total for Commonwealth

| 2,341,624

| noWrap align="right" | 1,248,226

| noWrap align="right" | 483,356

| noWrap align="middle" | 39.42

| noWrap align="right" | 742,704

| {{no|60.58}}

| noWrap align="right" | 20,869

----

! style="text-align:left;"| Results

| colSpan="8" | Obtained majority in one state and an overall minority of 259,348 votes. Not carried.

Discussion

This was the first of many times that similar questions were asked at a referendum. On every occasion the public decided not to vest power in the Commonwealth over these matters.

See also

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{refn|name=Gazette|{{cite news |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/file/1911GN49 |title=Result of the Referendum |work=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette |via=www.legislation.gov.au |date=21 June 1911 |number=49 |page=1579}}}}

{{refn|name=Handbook|Handbook of the 44th Parliament (2014) {{cite web |url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fnewhandbook%2F2014-10-31%2F0049%22 |title=Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites - Referendum results |publisher=Parliamentary Library of Australia}}}}

}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=laca/inquiryinconch.htm |title=Select sources on constitutional change in Australia 1901-1997}} {{cite book |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_representatives_Committees?url=laca/constitutionalchange/part2.pdf |title=Part 2 - History of Australian Referendums |isbn=0644484101 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |date= 24 March 1997}}
  • {{cite web |author=Bennett, Scott |year=2003 |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp0203/03rp11 |title=Research Paper no. 11 2002–03: The Politics of Constitutional Amendment |publisher=Parliamentary Library of Australia |location=Canberra}}
  • Australian Electoral Commission (2007) [http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/Referendum_Dates_and_Results.htm Referendum Dates and Results 1906 – Present] AEC, Canberra.

{{Australian Referendums|year=1911|state=expanded}}

{{Constitution of Australia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Referendum, 1911 (Trade And Commerce)}}

Category:1911 referendums

Referendum (Trade and Commerce)

1911 (Trade and Commerce)

Category:1911 in Australian law

Category:April 1911 in Australia