In 1999, a referendum was held proposing an amendment to the Australian Constitution to replace the Queen and Governor-General with a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament. The referendum failed to pass.
a. Explain the two requirements of the ‘double majority’ provision as outlined in Section 128 of the Australian Constitution.
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Create Free Account Log inThis is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Legal Studies practice question worth 2 marks, testing your understanding of Double Majority Requirement. It falls under The people and reform in Unit 4: The people, the law and reform. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.
The study of Australia’s laws and legal system includes an understanding of institutions that make and reform our laws. In this unit, students explore how the Australian Constitution establishes the law-making powers of the Commonwealth and state parliaments, and how it protects the Australian people through structures that act as a check on parliament in law-making. Students develop an understanding of the significance of the High Court in protecting and interpreting the Australian Constitution. They investigate parliament and the courts, and the relationship between the two in law-making, and consider the roles of the individual, the media and law reform bodies in influencing changes to the law, and past and future constitutional reform. Throughout this unit, students apply legal reasoning and information to actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.
Laws should reflect the needs of society, but they can become outdated. Individuals and groups can actively participate to influence changes to laws, and law reform bodies (including the Victorian Law Reform Commission, parliamentary committees, and Royal Commissions) can investigate and make recommendations for change. Laws can be changed by parliament and the courts, while constitutional reform requires a referendum. In this area of study, students investigate the need for law reform and the means by which individuals and groups can influence changes to the law. Students draw on examples of individuals, groups and the media influencing law reform, as well as examples from the past four years of inquiries of law reform bodies. Students examine the relationship between the Australian people and the Australian Constitution, the reasons for and processes of constitutional reform, the 1967 referendum about First Nations people and the 2023 referendum about an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
the requirement for the approval of the Commonwealth Houses of Parliament and a double majority in a referendum
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