Referendums

It is likely that the 2013 federal election will be accompanied by three referendum questions. The last 110 years have not been very successful in terms of changing the Constitution; only eight of 44 referendum questions have received the required double majority.

No special mention required

One likely question concerns local government - the third attempt! Referendums in 1974 and 1988, on whether local government should be recognised in the Constitution, were soundly defeated.

The third attempt, planned to allow the Commonwealth to directly fund local government, deserves to be passed. It has bipartisan support, and unless state governments fight to retain their power over the local sector, it may be successful.

Latest 2 of 102 comments

View all comments
 
  • marley says:

    04:42pm | 18/11/11

    Oh gawd no - nothing ever gets done in Switzerland.  We’ve got three times their population - can you imagine how much less would get done here than there?  I’d rather have a few errors than stagnation. Read more »

  • Sean says:

    04:00pm | 18/11/11

    Shame there’s no referendum to add to the Constitution the one thing it genuinely needs: a bill of rights. While we’re at it, let’s have a referendum to change the Australian legislative system so it resembles the Swiss one. That way, everything the govt does can (if challenged by any… Read more »

 

Self-identity - who you are, what your values are and what you believe - is critical to success in any society, whether it is cultural, sporting, professional or political.

The first indigenous member of the House of Reps Ken Wyatt. Picture: Ray Strange.

Without a firm understanding of who you are, it is very difficult to present a point of view or know where you stand on a particular topic. 

Not knowing or recognising your cultural heritage will suppress your purpose throughout life.

Latest 2 of 75 comments

View all comments
 
  • Sam says:

    02:03am | 24/12/11

    Strait out of the quadRANT hand book, no wonder those loons feel a need to pump out their crap, their fan base seem unable to present a genuine argument without repeating the same crap for years,  warrigal creek massacre was a revenge attack against the local tribe, whose only crime… Read more »

  • Sam says:

    01:29am | 24/12/11

    @sean + phill Its only a theory, science is flawed, 30 years ago by your science we were 10,000 years old, 20 ago it was 25, 10 years ago it was 40 thou and now your science is not accurate aboved 50 thou, anyway we were modern humans first, first… Read more »

 

The Prime Minister has announced that she will establish an expert panel to investigate the best way for indigenous people to be recognised in the Australian Constitution.

Opening ceremony of the Parliament in September. Picture: Ray Strange

Julia Gillard’s announcement is no surprise in of itself. It merely makes good on an election promise and, at least among major political parties, has bipartisan support.

But as Kevin Rudd has showed us, the road from announcing an “expert panel” to something actually getting done is a long one, and there are a lot few issues to be teased out between now and seeing this in the Constitution.

Latest 2 of 71 comments

View all comments
 
  • The Badger says:

    05:03pm | 10/11/10

    Simple solutions for simple minds Read more »

  • Rocket says:

    11:08pm | 09/11/10

    a poor attempt to promote some contrived left wing sentiment and placate the Greens… also a poor attempt to try and demonstrate political gravitas of the Kevin Rudd SORRY variety. Read more »

 

Facebook Recommendations

Read all about it

Punch live

Up to the minute Twitter chatter

ToryShepherd

RT @saline: Touche Miriam. Touche Barry. Wicked old thespians taking the pith. #qanda

ToryShepherd

The best haters are the worst spellers #qandadelayed#godihopeididntmakeatypo

Anthony Sharwood

How much fun is it retweeting people who can't spell?

Anthony Sharwood

In other Olympian news, Steph rice is advertising Sunrice Chinese style Mongolian chicken. Think about that for a tick

Recent posts

The latest and greatest

Is there a nicotine patch strong enough for this?

Is there a nicotine patch strong enough for this?

Ok. I am not a leading expert in world’s best practice on prisoner rehabilitation — my experience…

A great win by Webber, but it sure as hell wasn’t sport

A great win by Webber, but it sure as hell wasn’t sport

This morning I joined millions of other Australians in accelerating, braking, swearing and spilling coffee…

Fighting Assad one strongly worded statement at a time

Fighting Assad one strongly worded statement at a time

This weekend’s massacre in Houla, Syria, is one of those stories that invites but doesn’t…

Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

Michael S says:

"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]

From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone

Change Up! says:

I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]

Gentle jabs to the ribs

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more

243 comments

Newsletter

Read all about it

Sign up to the free daily Punch newsletter