Key Points
- Australia's last referendum was in 1999.
- The referendum had two questions; both failed to get anywhere near enough yes votes to pass.
- People were asked whether to alter the Constitution to create a republic, and to include a preamble.
The last time Australia held a referendum, John Howard was prime minister, GST had just become a thing, Savage Garden was high in the music charts and mobile phones looked like bricks.
The year was 1999 and the referendum had two questions; both failed to get anywhere near enough Yes votes to pass.
Australians were asked to vote Yes or No on altering the Constitution "to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a President" and whether to "alter the Constitution to insert a preamble."
Only Australians who are now aged 42 and older would have voted. When October 14 rolls around, the Voice to Parliament referendum will be millions of Australians' first.
In 1999, the number of people enrolled was 12,392,040, while this time around it is expected to reach 17.5 million.
What were the key arguments during the 1999 referendum?
Australian Republican Movement chief Malcolm Turnbull shows off the yes vote balloons on the day of the 1999 referendum. Source: AAP / Rob Griffith
He argued the republic "is a straightforward issue of principle and national pride" and used the phrase "our president should be a resident".
There were various schools of thought as to how a head of state should be elected, which some analysts said led to the Yes vote's downfall.
The Yes campaign for the republic was supported by many high-profile Australians which led the No side to argue it was elitist.
Former prime ministers Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Malcolm Fraser got behind it and argued that Australia's head of state should be Australian.
Yes campaigners said it would make the country more democratic and bring a "maturity" to it.
Those who campaigned for a republic didn't particularly want the Constitutional preamble, which was written by Howard, to get passed.
The No campaign was a mix of monarchists who supported the royal family, in particular Queen Elizabeth II, and those who were railing against elitists.
Many people who thought the model for a republic being proposed was unsatisfactory also voted No, as did those who argued that it wouldn't change anything significant.
The official No campaign argued that the system proposed would create a "politician's republic" and was undemocratic.
Howard said he was voting No because it wouldn't make the country better off under the model proposed and that there were "enormous benefits to the current system".
What were the results of the 1999 referendum?
There was no majority for Yes in any state. At one point on polling day it looked like Victoria may be slightly over into a Yes vote but once counting was completed, the No vote pulled ahead.
The Yes vote for the republic ranged from 37 per cent in Queensland to 49.8 per cent in Victoria, and for the preamble ranged from 32.8 per cent in Queensland to 42.5 per cent in Victoria.
Overall, 54.9 per cent voted No to the republic, and 60.7 per cent to the preamble.
There was a big city-country divide and the highest Yes votes for the republic came from inner metropolitan areas.
How did people react to the 1999 referendum?
According to newspaper reports from the night, the head of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, Kerry Jones, broke out the champagne at 8.07pm, declaring victory.
After the referendum, Turnbull blamed Howard for the result saying, "Whatever else he achieves, history will remember him for only one thing. He was the Prime Minister who broke a nation's heart."
Republicans cheered when results indicated Howard's preamble was set to fail.
"That wonderful piece of poetry looks like it is going to go down," Yes campaign director Greg Barns reportedly said.
Hawke said it was clear that a majority of Australians wanted a republic but there was confusion about the model. He said even if the No vote succeeded the majority of Australians still wanted a republic.
After successive Labor and Liberal prime ministers have said they wouldn't revive the republic debate, there was speculation Anthony Albanese would push for an Australian head of state once he became prime minister.
The Republic Movement has said it has paused much of its campaigning until after the Voice referendum.
Stay informed on the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum from across the SBS Network, including First Nations perspectives through NITV.
Visit the to access articles, videos and podcasts in over 60 languages, or stream the latest news and analysis, docos and entertainment for free, at the .
