1967 New South Wales new state referendum

New State referendum

29 April 1967 (1967-04-29)
Are you in favour of the establishment of a new State in north-east New South Wales described in schedule 1 to the New State Referendum Act 1966 ?
Outcome	Decided in the negative
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 168,103 45.82% No 198,812 54.18% Valid votes 366,915 94.54% Invalid or blank votes 21,194 5.46% Total votes 388,109 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 419,689 92.48%
Margin of support by district

The New State referendum was held in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, on 29 April 1967, under the provisions of the New State Referendum Act 1966. ^[1] The proposed state's boundaries were based on the findings of the 1935 Nicholas Royal Commission; only voters in this area took part. The vote marked the culmination of a decades-long campaign for a new state in the New England and Northern Rivers districts, but was ultimately defeated.

Background

These paragraphs are an excerpt from New England New State Movement § New state agitation.[ edit ]

The first separatist agitation occurred during colonial times at the time of the separation of Queensland from NSW. While this was followed by outbreaks of agitation, these remained sporadic. Well-organised 'Separation Leagues' existed at both Glen Innes and Grafton in the late 1880s, ^[2] but did not make progress.

This changed in the twentieth century. Agitation began again at Grafton towards the end of the First World War led by Earle Page, a local doctor and later a prominent politician, rising to caretaker Prime Minister of Australia. This was picked up a little later by Victor Thompson, editor of the Tamworth Northern Daily Leader who launched a sustained newspaper campaign that involved papers as far south as Cessnock in the lower Hunter. This led to the creation of a formal movement. In 1922 a formal request to the Commonwealth was made by the lower house to establish a new state in northern New South Wales. ^[3] One outcome was the 1924 Cohen Royal Commission into New States.

The Cohen Commission ruled against the movement and it went into decline, resurging at the start of the Great Depression. ^[4] This forced another Royal Commission, the Nicholas Commission. While this recommended in favour, ^[5] the movement was again in decline as economic conditions improved.

Agitation started again at the end of the Second World War and this time was sustained by permanent staff. In 1953, 21 councils defied the state government and held unofficial referendum on the issue of a new state. The people voted overwhelmingly in favour of the referendum. ^[6] In 1961 the movement launched Operation Seventh State, ^[7] raising over AU£100,000. This allowed more staff and greater agitation.

Key dates

Writs were issued on 31 March 1967. Polling took place on 29 April and the writ was returned on 29 May. ^[8]

Prescribed area

The New State Referendum Act identified a "prescribed area" in which the vote would be held. This included the electoral districts of Armidale, Barwon, Byron, Cessnock, Clarence, Gloucester, Hamilton, Kahibah, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Maitland, Newcastle, Oxley, Raleigh, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Upper Hunter, Wallsend and Waratah. It also included the subdivisions of Gunnedah, Merriwa and Spring Ridge in Burrendong, and Baradine and Coonabarabran in Castlereagh.

The question

Are you in favour of the establishment of a new state in north-east New South Wales as described in Schedule 1 to the New State Referendum Act, 1966? ^[9]

Results

The 'Yes' case enjoyed strong support across the New England and Northern Rivers districts, but faced overwhelming opposition in metropolitan Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and the Mid-North Coast.

Results of 1967 New State referendum ^[8]

District	Result	Yes	No	Informal	Yes	No	Turnout
Armidale	Yes	10,257	6,655	868	60.65%	39.35%	91.99%
Barwon	Yes	12,149	6,015	843	66.89%	33.11%	89.35%
Burrendong (part)	Yes	4,570	2,474	339	64.88%	35.12%	92.94%
Byron	Yes	13,205	6,533	1,072	66.90%	33.10%	93.22%
Castlereagh (part)	Yes	1,719	1,528	242	52.94%	47.06%	85.26%
Cessnock	No	4,627	14,299	1,362	24.45%	75.55%	94.26%
Clarence	Yes	13,239	6,698	873	66.40%	33.60%	93.69%
Gloucester	No	4,725	12,235	1,012	27.86%	72.14%	91.79%
Hamilton	No	5,305	13,945	1,303	27.56%	72.44%	92.18%
Kahibah	No	6,233	14,098	1,320	30.66%	69.34%	93.38%
Lake Macquarie	No	5,784	12,981	1,444	30.82%	69.18%	92.66%
Lismore	Yes	13,335	5,286	735	71.61%	28.39%	92.91%
Maitland	No	5,159	14,470	1,274	26.28%	73.72%	94.11%
Newcastle	No	5,343	14,167	1,142	27.39%	72.61%	91.17%
Oxley	No	8,297	10,609	1,229	43.89%	56.11%	92.28%
Raleigh	Yes	14,965	5,404	956	73.47%	26.53%	92.57%
Tamworth	Yes	10,138	7,407	842	57.78%	42.22%	93.67%
Tenterfield	Yes	11,220	4,657	591	70.67%	29.33%	92.18%
Upper Hunter	No	6,884	11,061	795	38.36%	61.64%	92.22%
Wallsend	No	5,423	13,575	1,485	28.55%	71.45%	93.87%
Waratah	No	5,526	14,715	1,467	27.30%	72.70%	93.13%
Total	No	168,103	198,812	21,194	45.82%	54.18%	92.59%

See also

• Referendums in New South Wales
• Referendums in Australia
• Northern Territory statehood referendum

References

1. "Referendum 29 April 1967". NSW Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011.
2. "GLEN INNES SEPARATION LEAGUE". Glen Innes Examiner and General Advertiser. 3 May 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
3. Totaro, Paola (28 July 2003). "History's lesson to the bush: if at first you don't secede, try, try again". The Sydney Morning Herald.
4. "New States Royal Commission". State Archives and Records. Government of New South Wales. 6 April 1925. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
5. "Royal Commission of Inquiry Respecting Areas in the State of New South Wales Suitable for Self-government as States in the Commonwealth of Australia". State Archives and Records. Government of New South Wales. 2 January 1935. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
6. "Altered states". The Sydney Morning Herald . 25 January 2005.
7. "Advertising". Canberra Times . 10 June 1961. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
8. McDonell, J. M. (1967). New State Referendum Act 1966: Statistical Returns. Sydney: New South Wales Government Printer.
9. "New state referendum Act, 1966. (30)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 31 March 1967. p. 1027. Retrieved 26 October 2021– via Trove.

External links

• New State Referendum Act 1966 (NSW)