PM Transcripts

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE RT. HON.
HAROLD HOLT, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
14TH MARCH, 1967
REFEREN DUM
Both Houses of Parliament have now approved the
bills containing the proposed laws to alter the Constitution. The bills
were the Constitution Alteration ( Parliament) Bill and the Constitution
Alteration ( Aboriginals) Bill.
Under the provisions of the Constitution, a proposed
law for an alteration of the Constitution must be submitted to the electors
not less than two months, nor more than six months, after the proposals
have been passed by both Houses.
Before the proposals can be submitted to the electors,
it will be necessary to distribute copies of the arguments for and against.
To this end, the Referendum ( Constitution Alteration) Act provides that
if, within four weeks of the passage of the proposed laws by both Houses,
the arguments in favour of and against the proposed laws are forwarded to
the Chief Electoral Officer, he is to print them and post a copy to each
elector. The Government is presently arranging for the " Yes" case to be
prepared and submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer in the normal way on
behalf of those who voted for the proposals, and no doubt those who voted
against the nexus proposal will be preparing the case against its adoption.
I am glad to say that no vote was cast against the
proposals relating to aborigines.
In all the circumstances, the Government has decided
that the Referendum should be held on 27th May, 1967. The Government
will recommend to the Governor-General that the writ for the Referendum
be issued on 28th April so that, in accordance with the Referendum
( Constitution Alteration) Act, the Chief Electoral Officer may then proceed
to distribute the pamphlet containing the " Yes" and " No" cases to electors
in time for the Referendum.