Referendum Facts

The word referendum is Latin and means something referred (to the people for a decision). A referendum is a vote by all voters on a question.

A referendum is normally held on a proposal to change the Constitution, such as the 1999 national referendum on the Republic, or to gauge the opinion of electors on a certain issue, such as the State referendum on daylight saving (WA has had three 1975, 1984 and 1992).

Electors are simply required to vote either "yes" or "no" in response to one or more questions.

Referendums in Western Australia

Western Australia has seen ten referendums on issues outside Constitutional change. Besides daylight saving, issues have included the vote to join the Australian Commonwealth in 1900, liquor licence referendums in 1911 and 1921, the secession referendum in 1933, and prohibition referendums in 1925 and 1950.

The Retail Trading Hours Referendum was only the second to be run concurrently with a State general election in Western Australia.  The first was on April 8 1933 on the question of whether Western Australia should secede from the Federal Commonwealth (while the referendum question was answered in the affirmative, Sir James Mitchell's Nationalist Party lost government to Philip Collier's Labor Party).

Voting in a Referendum

Polling day for a referendum is organised along similar lines to a general election.  Polling places are established in each electorate and operate from 8.00am to 6.00pm.  Counting begins at the close of polling and because only a "yes" or "no" is recorded in the box(es) next to the question(s) on the ballot paper, the counting process is very simple. As such the result of a referendum is usually known quite soon after polling closes.

Do I have to vote in a referendum?

Yes, if you are correctly enrolled to vote, you are obliged to vote.  The same rules apply if you are voting in an election or a referendum.

^top