ANNEX B
REFERENDA IN SOME FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH
COUNTRIES
Australia
Referenda are held to amend the Australian (Federal) Constitution and certain provisions of some State Constitutions. Occasionally they are also held to obtain the views of the electorate on politically sensitive issues. In outline, proposed alterations to the Federal Constitution are usually submitted to a referendum once passed by an absolute majority of each House of Parliament. In certain circumstances, a proposed alteration can also be submitted to a referendum if passed on two separate occasions by only one House in the event of a disagree- ment between the two Houses.
The Chief Electoral Officer arranges for the distribution of a pamphlet to every elector, showing the proposed constitutional alteration(s) together with the arguments for and against. Each argument is limited to 2,000 words and is authorised by a majority of its supporters in both Houses. Campaign expenses, including the cost of publishing referendum material, incurred by persons, political parties or other organised bodies must be shown on returns submitted after the referendum. Returns are also submitted by newspaper proprietors, show- ing names and addresses of those inserting referendum material and amounts paid or outstanding. All returns are open to public inspection. There are no ceilings on expenditure but Parliament is at present considering a proposal to limit the referendum expenses of political parties. The total cost to the Govern- ment of the two referenda held in December 1973 (on prices and incomes) was about $3 million (£1.9m at then current rates of exchange), for a population of 13 million, of which some $700,000 (£450,000) was spent on the preparation and distribution of pamphlets.
The ballot-paper specifies the title or titles of each proposed alteration and provides for a Yes or No answer to a question asking whether the voter approves of the proposed alteration(s). Voting is compulsory. Ample provision is made for postal and absent voting.
A proposed constitutional alteration must be approved by a majority of voters in the nation as a whole and also by a majority of voters in a majority of the six Australian States (electors in Australian territories are not eligible to vote at referenda to alter the Constitution). A proposed alteration may fail even though approved by an overall majority of voters. Special provisions exist to safeguard the position of the States on proposed alterations to the Constitution seeking to alter matters such as the representation of the States in Parliament or an altera- tion of State boundaries. Of 32 constitutional amendments submitted to refer- endum since federation in 1901, only 5 have been approved. The initial count is carried out in the Federal electoral divisions of each State and the results of the referendum are collated and published by the Chief Electoral Officer. The results show the number of valid votes cast for and against the proposed altera- tion in each State and in Australia. The number of informal ballot papers is also shown.
Denmark
Under Article 42 of the Constitution, Bills passed by the Folketing (Parliament)
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