# Austrailians vote overwhelmingly for same sex marriage **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653 "2017-11-15T01:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/21 "2017-11-19T10:33:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Does Australia have country-wide referendums? How common is this? > > The reason I ask is that in the system we have in the US a country-wide referendum would be virtually impossible. Not saying it’s good or bad (probably a little of both), just… different. There have been 44 referendums to amend the Australian Constitution since Federation in 1901. To pass, the referendum must obtain a double majority i.e a majority of voting Australian (voting being mandatory) and a majority of the six states. It’s a difficult needle to thread, which is a good thing, and only works when there is bipartisan support. If there is a coherent opposition, then the referendum rarely succeeds. There have been only eight successful referendums, most of which are federal procedural issues and the financial relationships between the commonwealth and the states. 1. To enable elections for both Houses to be held concurrently **1906** 2. To give the Commonwealth unrestricted power to take over State debts **1910** 3. End the system of per capita payments which have been made by the Commonwealth to the States since the 1910 referendum **1928** 4. To give the Commonwealth power to legislate on a wide range of social services **1946** 5. to enable the Commonwealth to enact laws for Aboriginal people. To remove the prohibition against counting Aboriginal people in population counts in the Commonwealth or a State. **1967** 6. To ensure, as far as practicable, that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party **1977** 7. To allow electors in Territories, as well as in the States, to vote in constitutional referendums **1977** 8. To provide for retiring ages for judges of Federal courts **1977** ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/22 "2017-11-19T14:50:31Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > There have been 44 referendums to amend the Australian Constitution since Federation in 1901. > To pass, the referendum must obtain a double majority i.e a majority of voting Australian (voting being mandatory) and a majority of the six states. It’s a difficult needle to thread, which is a good thing, and only works when there is bipartisan support. If there is a coherent opposition, then the referendum rarely succeeds. There have been only eight successful referendums, most of which are federal procedural issues and the financial relationships between the commonwealth and the states. > > 1. To enable elections for both Houses to be held concurrently **1906** > 2. To give the Commonwealth unrestricted power to take over State debts **1910** > 3. End the system of per capita payments which have been made by the Commonwealth to the States since the 1910 referendum **1928** > 4. To give the Commonwealth power to legislate on a wide range of social services **1946** > 5. to enable the Commonwealth to enact laws for Aboriginal people. To remove the prohibition against counting Aboriginal people in population counts in the Commonwealth or a State. **1967** > 6. To ensure, as far as practicable, that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party **1977** > 7. To allow electors in Territories, as well as in the States, to vote in constitutional referendums **1977** > 8. To provide for retiring ages for judges of Federal courts **1977** Thanks!! I’m glad to see our brethren Down Under put some breaks on the process. Seems pretty sensible. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/23 "2017-11-19T15:40:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Thanks!! I’m glad to see our brethren Down Under put some breaks on the process. Seems pretty sensible. _sigh_ Yup. Signed, a Brit. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/24 "2017-11-19T16:07:48Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > _sigh_ > Yup. > Signed, a Brit. It took me a couple seconds, but I did get it. Sigh, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2017, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/25 "2017-11-21T08:39:37Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > De facto partnership status, and the various state-based registered relation ship schemes, [do not allow same-sex couples the same rights as marriage](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/21/marriage-v-de-facto-partnerships-in-australia-the-legal-differences-explained). > [@](#): > > Such registered relationships are not reliably recognised overseas. Yes, that one is real: other countries that are not Australia do not treat Australian marriages the same way that Australia does. And yes, the other point in that article is true: registration is the easiest and simplest way to establish proof of marriage (although of course it is not definitive: it merely reverses the onus of proof) But the rest of the article is just a longer exploration of the fact that if you don’t register your marriage, proof of marriage takes longer and is more difficult: your rights and responsibility in a marriage are the same, gay or straight. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/26 "2017-11-21T16:28:23Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > ‘‘Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.’’ Aussies don’t divorce, then? Marriage is for life, after all. Or maybe that little fillip is not entirely the whole of the thing? Quite a dumb statement. (I’m kinda waiting for some Aussies to scream that Australia isn’t a democracy and therefore votes aren’t the be-all end-all. That would be amusing.) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653/27 "2017-11-22T02:30:16Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Aussies don’t divorce, then? Marriage is for life, after all. Of course they divorce. But it requires killing yourself and then getting reanimated. Zombies are becoming a real problem now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrailians-vote-overwhelmingly-for-same-sex-marriage/801653.md?page=1)