The only way to change the Australian Constitution is by holding a referendum. During a referendum, Australian citizens vote to approve or reject proposed amendments to the Australian Constitution.
For a referendum to produce constitutional change there must be a 'double majority', that is:
- a national majority of voters from all states and territories and
- a majority of voters in a majority of states* (ie at least four of the six states) must vote in favour of the proposed change.
* The votes of people living in any of Australia's territories only count towards the national majority.
How it all works
Before a referendum can be held a bill must be passed by both houses of parliament or passed twice in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.
A referendum must be held no sooner than two months and no later than six months after the bill is passed. In the four weeks after the bill is passed, the 'yes' case is prepared by members and senators who voted for the proposed changes. The 'no' case is prepared by those members and senators who voted against the proposed changes.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) then organises the printing of these cases and sends a copy to every elector.
The Governor-General issues a writ for a referendum which must be held on a Saturday. Sometimes they are held alongside ordinary elections but sometimes they're held separately. As running a referendum is no small feat, there are usually several proposed changes on a referendum ballot paper to best utilise the time participating.
Voters show they agree with a proposed change by writing 'yes' in the appropriate square. If they do not agree with the proposed change they write ‘no’ in the appropriate square.
Links
For more information on referendums visit:
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) - information on how referendums work.
