The Constitution Alteration (Nationalization of Monopolies) Bill 1919, was an unsuccessful Australian referendum seeking to alter the Australian Constitution to extend the government's power to legislate in respect of monopolies. The question was put to a referendum in 1919, held in conjunction with the 1919 federal election.

Question Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled —

"Constitution Alteration (Nationalisation of Monopolies) 1919"?

Prosposed Changes to the Constituation

The proposal was to alter the text of section 51 of the Constitution as reads as follows:

51a.—(1.) The Parliament shall have power to make laws for carrying on by or under the control of the Commonwealth, the industry or business of producing, manufacturing, or supplying any specified goods, or of supplying any specified services, and for acquiring for that purpose on just terms the assets and goodwill of the industry or business, where each House of the Parliament has in the same Session, by resolution passed by an absolute majority of its members, referred to the High Court, for inquiry and report by a Justice thereof, the question whether the industry or business is the subject of a monopoly, and where, after the report of the Justice has been received, each House of the Parliament has, in one Session, by resolution passed by an absolute majority of its members, declared that the industry or business is the subject of a monopoly.

Results + Result State Electoral roll Ballots issued For Against Informal Vote % Vote % New South Wales 1,079,439 717,565 227,156 38.31 365,847

124,330 Victoria 837,408 638,098 324,343

188,129 36.71 124,834 Queensland 389,200 330,231 162,062

122,650 43.08 45,209 South Australia 268,235 178,092 38,503 25.54 112,259

27,203 Western Australia 163,544 103,235 45,285

38,584 46.01 19,019 Tasmania 112,036 65,716 16,531 34.08 31,982

16,985 Total for Commonwealth 2,849,862 2,032,937 813,880 48.64 859,451

357,580 Results Obtained majority in three states and an overall minority of 45,571 votes. Not carried

Discussion The 1919 Australian Referendum on Monopolies was the third and final time that such a question would be asked and put to voter, ultimately failing to pass each time. 1911 referendum on trade and commerce, industrial relations and monopolies 1913 referendum on monopolies

See also

Referendums in Australia Politics of Australia

References