1998‑99

The Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Presented and read a first time

Referendum Legislation Amendment Bill 1999

No.      , 1999

(Special Minister of State)

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to referendums

ISBN:  0642 391017

Contents
1	Short title	1
2	Commencement	1
3	Schedule(s)	1
4	Commonwealth expenditure during 1999 in connection with certain referendum proposals	2
Schedule 1—Amendments	3
Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984	3

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to referendums
The Parliament of Australia enacts:
1  Short title
		This Act may be cited as the Referendum Legislation Amendment Act 1999.
2  Commencement
		This Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.
3  Schedule(s)
		Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.
4  Commonwealth expenditure during 1999 in connection with certain referendum proposals
		Subsection 11(4) of the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 does not prevent expenditure by the Commonwealth in respect of things done during 1999 (whether or not by the Commonwealth) in connection with either of the following proposed laws (including expenditure before the relevant Bills are introduced into the Parliament):
	(a)	a proposed law to alter the Constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic;
	(b)	a proposed law to insert a preamble in the Constitution.

Schedule 1—Amendments
  
Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
1  Paragraphs 11(4)(a) and (aa)
Repeal the paragraphs, substitute:
	(a)	the preparation, printing and posting, in accordance with this section, of the pamphlets referred to in this section;
	(aa)	the preparation, by or on behalf of the Electoral Commission, of translations into other languages of material contained in those pamphlets;
	(ab)	the preparation, by or on behalf of the Electoral Commission, of presentations of material contained in those pamphlets in forms suitable for the visually impaired;
	(ac)	the distribution or publication, by or on behalf of the Electoral Commission, of those pamphlets, translations or presentations (including publication on the Internet);
2  Subsection 25(2)
Omit “Where”, substitute “Subject to subsection (3A), where”.
3  After subsection 25(3)
Insert:
	(3A)	If:
	(a)	the Minister gives a written notice to the Electoral Commissioner that identifies 2 or more proposed laws; and
	(b)	referendums are to be held on the same day (the referendum day) in relation to 2 or more of the proposed laws identified in the notice; and
	(c)	the notice under paragraph (a) is given to the Electoral Commissioner at least 28 days before the issue of the writs for those referendums;
then:
	(d)	the ballot papers for each referendum held on the referendum day must be printed on separate pieces of paper; and
	(e)	for each of those referendums, the ballot papers must be of a different colour, chosen by the Electoral Commissioner.
4  Paragraph 36A(3)(b)
Omit “the names of the candidates”, substitute “his or her vote”.