1974 Australian referendum (Mode of Altering the Constitution)

1974 Australian "Mode of Altering the Constitution" referendum

18 May 1974 (1974-05-18)
An Act to facilitate alterations to the Constitution and to allow electors in territories, as well as electors in the states, to vote at referendums on proposed laws to alter the Constitution. Do you approve the proposed law?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 3,497,507 47.99% No 3,789,923 52.01% Valid votes 7,287,430 98.34% Invalid or blank votes 123,081 1.66% Total votes 7,410,511 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 7,759,714 95.5%

The Constitution Alteration (Mode of Altering the Constitution) Bill 1974,^[1] was an unsuccessful proposal to alter the Australian Constitution to make it easier to amend the constitution and give voters in the Australian territories the right to vote in referendums. It was put to voters for approval in a referendum held on 18 May 1974.

The bill to amend the constitution was passed by the House of Representatives however it was rejected by the Senate.^[1] Instead the referendum was put to voters using the deadlock provision in Section 128.^[2] Since federation, voters in territories had been excluded from voting in referendums. The proposal would have meant that their votes counted towards the national majority, but not towards any state total.