Australian conscription referendum, 1917

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The 1917 Australian plebiscite was held on 20 December 1917. It contained just the one question.

Contents

First Australian Imperial Force Australian Army expeditionary force during World War I

The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed on 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany, initially with a strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division subsequently fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, being reinforced by a second division which was later raised, as well as three light horse brigades. After being evacuated to Egypt the AIF was expanded to five infantry divisions, which were committed to the fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front in March 1916. A sixth infantry division was partially raised in 1917 in the United Kingdom, but was broken up and used as reinforcements following heavy casualties on the Western Front. Meanwhile, two mounted divisions remained in the Middle East to fight against Turkish forces in the Sinai and Palestine.

Poster for the Yes campaign 1917 Poster for the Yes vote Australian Conscription referendum 1917.jpg
Poster for the Yes campaign 1917

Background

The 1917 plebiscite was held a year after the highly contentious 1916 plebiscite on conscription. The 1916 plebiscite had resulted in a surprise "no" vote, with voters in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, as well as a majority of electors nationwide, rejecting the proposal. The political fallout was swift, and by November 1916 had led to the collapse of the First Hughes Ministry. This resulted in a split of the ruling Australian Labor Party into two factions, with Prime Minister Billy Hughes and some Labor MPs forming the breakaway National Labor Party, which by February 1917 had merged with the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party to form the Nationalist Party of Australia. While the Nationalist Party was dominated by former Commonwealth Liberals, it retained Hughes as leader. After Hughes and the Nationalists scored a convincing victory at the 1917 election, Hughes announced a second plebiscite on the question of conscription to be held on 20 December 1917. [1]

Queensland North-east state of Australia

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

New South Wales State of Australia

New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Tasman Sea to the east. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave within the state. New South Wales' state capital is Sydney, which is also Australia's most populous city. In March 2018, the population of New South Wales was over 7.9 million, making it Australia's most populous state. Just under two-thirds of the state's population, 5.1 million, live in the Greater Sydney area. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen.

South Australia State of Australia

South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and fifth largest by population. It has a total of 1.7 million people, and its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital, Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second largest centre, has a population of 28,684.

During the course of World War 1 38.7% of eligible Australian men enlisted for service, around 420,000 out of an eligible population of a little over 1 million. During the war the range of men eligible to volunteer was expanded, with the initial age range of 19–38 expanded to 18-45 in June 1915. Similarly medical standards were lowered, for example the minimum height dropped from 5ft 6in (167 cm) in August 1914 down to 5ft (152 cm) by April 1917. [2] There was however a significant decrease in the number of enlistments after 1915, with the average in 1917 of less than 4,000 enlistments per month: [3] [4]

The 1917 Plebiscite

"The Death Ballot", a campaign poster for the "No" vote. The Death Ballot (1917 Plebiscite).jpg
"The Death Ballot", a campaign poster for the "No" vote.

The proposal for the 1917 plebiscite was less far reaching than that of the 1916 poll, eschewing full conscription of able-bodied men and instead proposing to conscript men between the ages of 18 and 44 through a ballot system, and only in months where voluntary enlistments fell below 7,000 men. [5]

"Facts for Farm Workers", a campaign poster for the "Yes" vote. Facts for Farm Workers (1917 Plebiscite).jpg
"Facts for Farm Workers", a campaign poster for the "Yes" vote.

This plebiscite was held due to the Australian Government's desire to introduce conscription to increase the recruitment of forces for overseas service during the ongoing World War I, to a total of 7,000 men per month. It was conducted under the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917. [6] It formed part of the larger debate on conscription in Australia throughout the war.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

All of the historical documentation refer to the ballot as a referendum, [6] [7] even though it did not involve a proposal to amend the Australian Constitution. Because it was not an amendment to the constitution, (1) it had no legal force, (2) it did not require approval in a majority of states and (3) residents of federal territories were able to vote. [6] [8] Such a ballot is now usually referred to as a plebiscite to distinguish it from a referendum to alter the Constitution. [9]

The campaign was notable for the Egg Throwing Incident where a protestor threw an egg at Prime Minister Hughes in Warwick, Queensland, [10] and for the Raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office, where the Australian Army stormed a Queensland government building to confiscate copies of the Queensland Government Gazette deemed to contain subversive anti-conscription materials. [11]

Results

Result [9]
State On

rolls

 Ballots

issued

 For Against InformalResult
% %
New South Wales 1,055,883 853,894 341,256 41.16% 487,77458.84% 24,864No
Victoria 807,331 678,806 329,772 49.79% 332,49050.21% 16,544No
Queensland 378,378 310,164 132,771 44.02% 168,87555.98% 8,518No
South Australia 261,661 197,970 86,663 44.90% 106,36455.10% 4,943No
Western Australia 162,347 135,593 84,116 64.39% 46,522 35.61% 4,955Yes
Tasmania 106,803 78,792 38,881 50.24% 38,502 49.76% 1,409Yes
Northern Territory and Federal Capital Territory 4,037 3,002 1,700 58.22% 1,220 41.78% 82Yes
Total for Commonwealth 2,776,440 2,258,221* 1,015,159 46.21% 1,181,74753.79% 61,315No
Obtained majority in two States and the Territories and an overall minority of 166,588 votes. [12]
Not carried

* Including 199 677 votes by members of the Australian Imperial Force, of which 103 789 were for, 93 910 against, and 1978 informal.

Results by state. Yes No Australian referendum results by states, 1917.png
Results by state.
  Yes
  No

See also

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Egg Throwing Incident

The Egg Throwing Incident occurred on 29 November 1917 in Warwick, Queensland, Australia. An egg was thrown at the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes at the Warwick railway station during his campaign for the 1917 plebiscite on conscription. The egg was thrown by Patrick Michael Brosnan, possibly assisted by his brother Bartie Brosnan.

The Australian Labor Party split of 1916 occurred following severe disagreement within the Australian Labor Party over the issue of proposed World War I conscription in Australia. Labor Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes had, by 1916, become an enthusiastic supporter of conscription as a means to boost Australia's contribution to the war effort. On 30 August 1916, he announced plans for a referendum on the issue, and introduced enabling legislation into parliament on 14 September, which passed only with the support of the opposition. Six of Hughes' ministers resigned in protest at the move, and the New South Wales state branch of the Labor Party expelled Hughes. The referendum saw an intense campaign in which Labor figures vehemently advocated on each side of the argument, although the "no" campaign narrowly won on 14 November. In the wake of the referendum defeat, the caucus moved to expel Hughes on 14 November; instead, he and 23 supporters resigned and formed the National Labor Party. Frank Tudor was elected leader of the rump party. Hughes was recommissioned as Prime Minister, heading a minority government supported by the opposition Commonwealth Liberal Party; the two parties then merged as the Nationalist Party of Australia and won the 1917 federal election. The Nationalist Party served as the main conservative party of Australia until 1931, and the split resulted in many early Labor figures ending their careers on the political right.

Queensland in World War I

World War I impacted on many aspects of everyday life in Queensland, Australia. Over 58,000 Queenslanders fought in World War I and over 10,000 of them died.

Military recruitment in Queensland in World War I

During World War I, extensive military recruitment took place in Queensland. Although many enlisted voluntarily, there was considerable pressure for the unwilling to enlist, including two unsuccessful attempts to introduce conscription in 1916 and 1917. Overall, more than 57,700 Queenslanders fought in World War I and over 10,000 of them died.

Queensland Recruiting Committee

The Queensland Recruiting Committee was a volunteer organisation in Queensland, Australia, which urged Queensland men to enlist for military service during World War I. It operated from May 1915 to December 1916, when it was replaced by an Australian Government recruitment organisation, the Queensland State Recruiting Committee.

Raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office

In November 1917, the Australian government conducted a raid on the Government Printing Office in Brisbane, with the aim of confiscating copies of Hansard that covered debates in the Queensland Parliament where anti-conscription sentiments had been aired.

References

  1. ↑ Connor, John (2011). Anzac and Empire: George Foster Pearce and the Foundations of Australian Defence. Cambridge University Press. p. 107. ISBN   9781107009509.
  2. ↑ "Enlistment standards". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Enlistment statistics, First World War". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016.
  4. ↑ A.G. Butler (1943). "Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III" (PDF). p. 889. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2016 – via Australian War Memorial.
  5. ↑ Carroll, Brian (2004). Australia's Prime Ministers: From Barton to Howard. Rosenberg Publishing. p. 93. ISBN   9781877058226.
  6. 1 2 3 "War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917". Commonwealth of Australia. 10 November 1917. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Conscription referendums, 1916 and 1917 – Fact sheet 161". National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016.
  8. ↑ People in the territories were not able to vote at a referendum to alter the Constitution until after the 1977 referendum.
  9. 1 2 Handbook of the 44th Parliament (2014) "Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites - Referendum results". Parliamentary Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018..
  10. ↑ "Senior Sergeant Kenny entirely exonerated". Warwick Examiner and Times . Qld. 5 December 1917. p. 4 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ Fitzgerald, Ross (1994). "Red Ted": The Life of E. G. Theodore. University of Queensland Press. p. 96. ISBN   9780702226496.
  12. ↑ As this was a plebiscite not a referendum to amend the Australian Constitution, there was no requirement for a majority of states.
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