Australian referendum, 1906

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The Australian referendum of the 12th December, 1906 approved an amendment to the Australian constitution related to the terms of office of federal senators. Technically it was a vote on the Constitution Alteration (Senate Elections) Act, 1906, which after being approved in the referendum received the Royal Assent on the 3rd April, 1907. The amendment moved the date of the beginning of the term of members of the Senate from 1st January to the 1st July so that elections to the federal House of Representatives and the Senate could occur simultaneously.

The 1906 vote was the first referendum ever held in the Commonwealth of Australia and concerned the first amendment made to the constitution since its enactment. Other than the amendment related to senatorial elections, no other referendum question was put to voters on the same day.

1 Overview
2 Referendum results
3 Changes to the text of the constitution
4 See also

[edit] Overview

Prior to the amendment the constitution provided, in section 13, that Senate term would begin on 1st January (and end on 31st December). By 1906 it was felt to be unlikely that Senate terms would generally coincide with House of Representatives terms, and that for this reason a change would be beneficial. The proposed amendment provided for Senate terms to begin on 1st July (and end on the 30th June). Odgers noted that the main reason for the change was to enable simultaneous elections to be held in March. The amendment was uncontroversial, dealing with the mechanical matter of how to rotate Senate terms, and R. G. Menzies later observed that

as the average voter ... does not care how frequently a Senator rotates, the amendment was carried.

Although the amendment has not hindered the holding of simultaneous elections, it has had one unintended consequence. Because two-thirds of Commonwealth elections have been held in the months between September and December, there have been numerous instances of incoming Senators being required to wait many months before taking their seats. Those elected on 3rd October 1998, for instance, were required to wait 270 days before doing so.

[edit] Referendum results

Question: Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled 'Constitution Alteration (Senate Elections) 1906?

	For	Against
Votes	%82.65	%17.35
States	6	0

State	On rolls	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal
State	On rolls	Ballots issued		%		%	Informal
New South Wales	737,599	381,019	286,888	%83.85	55,261	%16.15	37,929
Victoria	672,054	380,953	282,739	%83.10	57,487	%16.90	38,936
Queensland	271,109	124,352	81,295	%76.84	24,502	%23.16	15,325
South Australia	193,118	70,479	54,297	%86.99	8,121	%13.01	7,892
Western Australia	145,473	52,712	34,736	%78.93	9,274	%21.07	6,312
Tasmania	90,209	48,762	34,056	%81.32	7,825	%18.68	5,761
Total for Commonwealth	2,109,562	1,058,277	774,011	%82.65	162,470	%17.35	112,155

[edit] Changes to the text of the constitution

Section 13 - Before (removed text in bold):

As soon as may be after the Senate first meets, and after each first meeting of the Senate following a dissolution thereof, the Senate shall divide the senators chosen for each State into two classes, as nearly equal in number as practicable; and the places of the senators of the first class shall become vacant at the expiration of the third year, and the places of those of the second class at the expiration of the sixth year, from the beginning of their term of service; and afterwards the places of senators shall be vacant at the expiration of six years from the beginning of their term of service.

The election to fill vacant places shall be made in the year at the expiration of which the places are to become vacant.

For the purpose of this section the term of service of a senator shall be taken to begin on the first day of January following the day of his election, except in the cases of the first election and of the election next after any dissolution of the Senate, when it shall be taken to begin on the first day of January preceding the day of his election.

Section 13 - After (substituted text in bold):

As soon as may be after the Senate first meets, and after each first meeting of the Senate following a dissolution thereof, the Senate shall divide the senators chosen for each State into two classes, as nearly equal in number as practicable; and the places of the senators of the first class shall become vacant at the expiration of three years, and the places of those of the second class at the expiration of six years, from the beginning of their term of service; and afterwards the places of senators shall be vacant at the expiration of six years from the beginning of their term of service.

The election to fill vacant places shall be made within one year before the places are to become vacant.

For the purpose of this section the term of service of a senator shall be taken to begin on the first day of July following the day of his election, except in the cases of the first election and of the election next after any dissolution of the Senate, when it shall be taken to begin on the first day of July preceding the day of his election.