The 1999 referendum to insert a Preamble into the Constitution was held in conjunction with the referendum on a republic.
The Preamble was overwhelmingly defeated. It received a national YES vote of just 39.34% and was defeated in every state and territory. The lowest YES vote was 32.81% in Queensland. The highest YES vote was 43.61% in the Australian Capital Territory.
Show below is a copy of the referendum ballot paper and the YES and NO cases distributed to every household in Australia.
Australian Electoral Commission Documents (PDF)
- Explanatory Letter
- Explanatory Document
- The official YES case
- The official NO case
- Ballot Papers
- Postal Vote Application
The Preamble
- Text of the Preamble for the November 6, 1999 Referendum
- Howard’s Original Draft Preamble
- Jeff Kennett’s Preamble
Archived Posts
- Preamble Referendum: Howard-Ridgeway Urge A YES Vote November 3, 1999
- Proposed Wording For Preamble Referendum September 1, 1999
- Jeff Kennett Proposes New Wording For Preamble Referendum April 14, 1999
- Preamble Referendum: Initial Bill – Explanatory Statement March 25, 1999
- John Howard’s Exposure Draft of Proposed New Preamble March 25, 1999
- A.L.P. Releases A Draft Preamble To The Constitution March 12, 1999