Referendums and why they often fail

You’d have to give the Internet prize this week to the wag who posted a photo of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (against a background of jubilant Australian soccer players). “Peter Dutton needs more details before he will support the Matildas,” the satirical headline read. The Matildas meme most accurately portrays the intransigence of the Opposition Leader’s approach to the Voice referendum, saying No because he doesn’t have enough ‘detail’. Mr Dutton, perhaps unfairly, has been…

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Press vote now

Queenslanders who voted ‘Yes’ for four-year fixed parliamentary terms last weekend may live to rue the day. The people have spoken, although there is a vigorous debate about how well-informed they were at the time they voted. And while vote counting is not complete, critics are saying 53.1% for the affirmative is a poor result, considering it had bipartisan support. The people certainly spoke back in 1967 when a referendum was held to count Aborigines…

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