When Australians go to the polls on September 14th, we will not only be electing a government, we will be deciding whether or not local governments get the constitutional recognition they have long campaigned for.
What remains to be seen is whether the Federal Government is giving the long-awaited referendum a realistic chance of success.
Australian Local Government Association President Felicity-ann Lewis has said, “We don’t just want to run a referendum, we want to win a referendum.”
As Councillor Lewis points out, history has shown referendums do not succeed without bipartisan support.
Tony Abbott has pledged in principle support for constitutional recognition of local government, but also expressed reservations about the wording of the amendment proposed by the Gillard government.
Mr Abbott has said the Government has not done the work necessary to get a yes vote. “Typical of this Government, everything is rushed out at the last minute to generate a headline rather than to get a result.”
Now the Constitutional Alteration Bill has been passed by parliament and the proposed new wording of Section 96 released, the time has come for Mr Abbott to make a decision and commit to supporting the referendum.
Opposition to the constitutional amendment from state governments is also a concern.
Whether or not the referendum does succeed will depend on how well the need for constitutional recognition is sold to the Australian public.
Recent polls show there is majority support for the referendum proposal, but many Australians remain unaware of what the referendum will mean for them and their local council.
Australia does not have a good history of supporting referendums, with only eight out of 44 referendums successful since 1906.
Unless the campaign is stepped up we may find the majority of Australians vote to maintain the status quo.
It is now up to the Government, the Opposition, the ALGA and individual councils to inform voters and give them a reason to vote yes on September 14th.
