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Chapter VIII of the Constitution of Australia

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An additional requirement is that any state specifically affected by an amendment must be one of the states with a majority among electors. This additional requirement applies when a change would reduce a state's representation in either house of parliament, alter state boundaries, or otherwise alter
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recommended in its final report that the section be altered to allow for State Parliaments to initiate referendums by passing bills containing proposed changes. Under the proposal, if at least half the states passed bills containing the same amendment within a 12-month period, the Governor-General
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to amend the section in 1974, which would have altered the section so that if an equal number of states approved and disapproved of a change; the result would be determined by national majority. That unsuccessful referendum also attempted to allow for voting of those in the territories during
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Section 128 makes allowance for inconsistent suffrage rights across the colonies at federation. It provides that any state providing women with the vote shall have only half the votes in that state counted for the referendum. As Australia's voting laws and suffrage rules are now uniform, this
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The proposed change must then be submitted to Australian electors for approval. That referendum must occur at least two months after the bill has passed, and at most six months after. Parliament may make laws setting out the procedures for the referendum (e.g. in the
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in both houses. If one house passes the bill containing the proposed change while the other refuses, it may attempt to pass the bill again. If the second house again refuses to pass it, the
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being carried among electors in a majority of states, and (2) a majority of electors nationally (including territories).
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Section 128 stipulates that the constitution may only be amended by referendum, and describes the referendum process.
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would be obliged to put the proposal to referendum. The Commission also recommended against the introduction of an
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A bill containing the change must be passed by the Commonwealth parliament. This bill must be passed by an
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The amendment by referendum method described in the section was modelled on provisions in the
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Chapter of the Australian Constitution establishing process for amendment by referendum
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of the Prime Minister) may still submit the proposed change for referendum.
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elections; an issue address in the aforementioned 1977 referendum.
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Australian Constitutional Law and Theory: Commentary and Materials
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constitutional provisions specifically in relation to that state.
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Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia: The Legislature
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Chapter II of the Constitution of Australia: The Executive
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Australian Constitution (Public Record Copy) Act 1990
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Chapter III of the constitution of Australia: Courts
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2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis
352: 1652: 315: 454: 440: 406:Final Report of the Constitutional Commission 328:Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library 135: 353:Blackshield, Tony; Williams, George (2010). 79:Chapter VIII: Alteration of the Constitution 557:Section 75 of the Constitution of Australia 516:Section 61 of the Constitution of Australia 480:Section 51 of the Constitution of Australia 1556:(xviii) Copyrights, patents and trademarks 624:Implied freedom of political communication 447: 433: 391:Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 216:Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 142: 128: 236: 721:Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 321: 1653: 1521:(v) Post and telegraph (communication) 782:Separatist movements within Australia 629:Implied immunity of instrumentalities 428: 833:VIII: Alteration of the Constitution 772:List of proposed states of Australia 225:is achieved. 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Index


Constitution of Australia
Chapter I: The Parliament
Chapter II: The Executive Government
Chapter III: The Judicature
Chapter IV: Finance and Trade
Chapter V: The States
Chapter VI: New States
Chapter VII: Miscellaneous
Chapter VIII: Alteration of the Constitution

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