Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 240
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
referendum "to the electors qualified to vote for the election of
Members of the Legislative Assembly", 12 May 1960; messages
from the Governor; copies of Governor's minutes; newspaper
clippings; and the printed "Constitution Amendment (Legislative
Council Abolition) Bill. Judgment of the High Court of Australia
delivered on 15th December, 1960, and the Order made by the
Court in connection with the Constitution Amendment (Legislative
Council Abolition) Bill in the case Clayton and Ors. v. Heffron and
Ors.".
Premier's Department
Letters received - Special bundles
CGS 12061
Referendum for the abolition of the Legislative Council,
1959, 1968-83 (File 73/758)
CGS 12061,
[18/1407
part-1409.1]
Reform of the Legislative Council had long been Labor Party policy.
The Constitution and Parliamentary Electorates and Elections
(Amendment) Bill, (the Reform Bill), was introduced by the
Premier, Neville Wran, on 1 June 1977. The object of this Bill was
to provide for the election of Members of the Legislative Council
directly by the people.
At that time the Legislative Council consisted of 60 Members who
held office for 12 year terms, 15 of whom retired every three
years. They were elected by the joint vote of the 99 Members of
the Legislative Assembly and the 60 Members of the Legislative
Council, including the outgoing Members.
The proposals for reform included "the re-constitution of the
Legislative Council as a House of 45 Members, elected on a nonpreferential proportional list system of voting by all the Electors of
the State, and using the whole State as a single electorate". It
was the intention of the Bill,
to provide for a Legislative Council responsible to, and
responsive to the will of the people. It will be a Legislative
Council with fewer politicians, elected for a shorter term of
years, and in which the party, or group of parties which obtains
the majority of the votes of the citizens of the State will occupy
the majority of the seats.
The 1978 referendum, which was successful, reconstituted the
Legislative Council by reducing its numbers from 60 to 45 and by
providing for direct elections by the people, with 15 or 1/3 of the
Council being elected at each State poll.
Volume B of the bundle in [18/1407] mainly contains papers
dating from 1968-77. It includes: representations and submissions
forreform of the Legislative Council from individuals and
organisations (eg the Amalgamated Engineering Union for popular
election of members; the Republican Party of Australia, NSW
Division, for general enfranchisement, and for abolition; the New
Lambton Branch of the Liberal Party in favour of reform of the
Council; NSW Branch of the Australia Party in favour of popular
election and other reforms); extracts from Hansard (concerning
the status of the Legislative Council, the bicameral system,
abolition of Legislative Council, Legislative Council elections); a
State Records Authority of New South Wales
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