There’s a lot of discussion surrounding Plebiscites and the Same Sex Marriage issue.
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Although there have been only 3 plebiscites run by the Federal Government since 1901, a single one has passed in 1977 to select the new National Anthem.
There have been 44 referenda in the same time, and only 9 have passed.
A great concern about the use of a plebiscite is the low pass rate: only 33% of Plebiscites and 20.45% of Referenda.
For your information, this is the list of Referenda and Plebiscites in Australia since Federation.
| Year | Referendum No. | Subject | Carried |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 1 | Senate Elections | Yes |
| 1910 | 2 | State Debts | Yes |
| 1910 | 3 | Surplus Revenue | No |
| 1911 | 4 | Trade and Commerce | No |
| 1911 | 5 | Monopolies | No |
| 1913 | 6 | Trade and Commerce | No |
| 1913 | 7 | Corporations | No |
| 1913 | 8 | Industrial Matters | No |
| 1913 | 9 | Trusts | No |
| 1913 | 10 | Monopolies | No |
| 1913 | 11 | Railway Disputes | No |
| 1916 | n/a | Military Service (plebiscite) | No |
| 1917 | n/a | Military Service (plebiscite) | No |
| 1919 | 12 | Legislative Powers | No |
| 1919 | 13 | Monopolies | No |
| 1926 | 14 | Industry and Commerce | No |
| 1926 | 15 | Essential Services | No |
| 1928 | 16 | State Debts | Yes |
| 1937 | 17 | Aviation | No |
| 1937 | 18 | Marketing | No |
| 1944 | 19 | Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights | No |
| 1946 | 20 | Social Services | Yes |
| 1946 | 21 | Marketing | No |
| 1946 | 22 | Industrial Employment | No |
| 1948 | 23 | Rents and Prices | No |
| 1951 | 24 | Communists and Communism | No |
| 1967 | 25 | Parliament | No |
| 1967 | 26 | Aboriginals | Yes |
| 1973 | 27 | Prices | No |
| 1973 | 28 | Incomes | No |
| 1974 | 29 | Simultaneous Elections | No |
| 1974 | 30 | Mode of Altering the Constitution | No |
| 1974 | 31 | Democratic Elections | No |
| 1974 | 32 | Local Government Bodies | No |
| 1977 | 33 | Simultaneous Elections | No |
| 1977 | 34 | Senate Casual Vacancies | Yes |
| 1977 | 35 | Referendums | Yes |
| 1977 | 36 | Retirement of Judges | Yes |
| 1977 | n/a | National Song (plebiscite) (choice of 4 using preferential voting) | Yes |
| 1984 | 37 | Terms of Senators | No |
| 1984 | 38 | Interchange of Powers | No |
| 1988 | 39 | Parliamentary Terms | No |
| 1988 | 40 | Fair Elections | No |
| 1988 | 41 | Local Government | No |
| 1988 | 42 | Rights and Freedoms | No |
| 1999 | 43 | Establishment of Republic | No |
| 1999 | 44 | Preamble | No |
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