Australian referendum, 1984 (Interchange of Powers)

The Australian Constitution places some restraints on the ability of the State

State government

A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...

and Federal government

Federal government

The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...

s to freely cooperate. The
Constitution Alteration (Interchange of Powers) 1984 proposal would have removed these barriers, such that the states and the federal government could freely interchange powers at will.
The proposal was put to a referendum in the Australian referendum, 1984

Australian referendum, 1984

The 1984 Australian Referendum was held on 21 May 1984. It contained two referendum questions, neither of which passed.* Terms of Senators * Interchange of Powers ...

Results

An Act to enable the Commonwealth and the States voluntarily to refer powers to each other.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?

Result
State	On rolls	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal
State	On rolls	Ballots issued		%		%	Informal
New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	3,423,624	3,216,256	1,475,971	%49.04	1,533,799	%50.96	206,486
Victoria	2,617,291	2,475,891	1,139,565	%49.86	1,146,136	%50.14	190,190
Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	1,549,749	1,447,284	578,674	%41.69	809,249	%58.31	59,361
South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	908,424	856,226	355,588	%45.94	418,433	%54.06	82,205
Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	858,763	806,637	336,184	%44.28	423,022	%55.72	47,431
Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	289,142	277,100	87,933	%34.65	165,878	%65.35	23,289
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...	150,416	140,982	74,741	%56.10	58,487	%43.90	7,754
Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...	68,857	58,668	25,684	%47.78	28,066	%52.22	4,918
Total for Commonwealth	9,866,266	9,279,044	4,074,340	%47.06	4,583,070	%52.94	621,634
Obtained majority in no State and an overall minority of 508,730 votes.
Not carried

Results

See also