Amendments:
Since writing the original proposal in 2015 technological advancements and new information and ideas mean that we have revised the form of the Citizens Initiated Referendums (CIR) we are working to implement for Australia.
In particular, the advent of the Blockchain means that we can combine a digital voting App with CIR so that we can have immediately quantifiable results of any election. Therefore, a digital voting App makes it easy for the people to have a say in both amending the Constitution and voting on important legislation proposed in Parliament that will affect our lives.
Advance Australia is consulting with other groups who have already developed voting Apps based on the Blockchain and we will make this App available for free download as soon as it is ready.
Citizens Initiated Referendums (Binding CIR)
This short 5-minute video explains simply what CIR is and how it works:
Every voter has a fundamental right to have a say in our government.
Advance Australia is committed to putting the power into the hands of the people to give all Australians a voice in our government. Common Law Assemblies are being set up across the land, creating local governments of the people.
Once we reach a critical mass number of Assembly members, we will start convening national congresses to give elected representatives from each Assembly a voice in the structure and implementation of a new political and government system
This right to initiate a referendum is currently only available to elected representatives of our Federal Parliament. They have not been doing their job. They have not served We the People.
This must change if Australia is going to survive into the future.
Once a People’s Parliament has been set up as a result of the National Congresses, we will immediately submit a Bill to amend S.128 to give all Australians the right to initiate a referendum. Doing this will create a similar CIR system to that already enjoyed by Switzerland for the last 100 years. Click here to learn more: Swiss CIR
By combining CIR with a digital voting App, all voters will be able to vote on any amendments proposed to the Constitution, as well as on legislation that will affect the community at large.
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The Proposed Alteration to Section 128
Section 128 Mode of altering the Constitution states that only the people voting in a referendum can amend the Constitution. We propose amending S128 to allow all voters to have a say in government as well. Click here to read the proposed CIR Bill.
Our Proposal:
The Constitution writers built in stringent safeguards to S128, but they erred in giving only the Parliament the right to initiate referendums. The political parties will never give us the right to Initiate Referendums, as we will take away their power. We will have to make them to relinquish power over us by a majority of Australians demanding that they step down and we re-organize the electoral system as proposed in Step 3 – Electoral Reform.
With power restored to the people with CIR, we will propose a referendum to amend the Constitution to reform the electoral system to the one proposed in this website. Click on the link to read what we propose.
The following is the text of the Binding CIR Bill we will submit to Parliament…
A Bill for an Act for a referendum to amend Section 128 of the Constitution to enable citizens of Australia to initiate binding referendums to amend the Constitution, to vote on proposed Parliamentary Legislation, and for related purposes The Parliament of Australia enacts:
Part 1 – Preliminary
1 Short Title
This Act may be cited as the Section 128 Constitutional Amendment Act 20XX
2 Commencement
This Act commences on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, either by the Ruling Monarch or their assigned representative to the Commonwealth of Australia the Governor General.
3 Guide to this Act
This Act is for a referendum to amend Section 128 of the Constitution to allow Citizens to initiate binding referendums to amend the Constitution and to vote on proposed Legislation. The referendum question seeks to replace Section 128 with a new Section 128.
The following paragraphs set out the process that must be followed, and the requirements that must be met, in order for a Citizen to initiate the holding of a binding referendum to amend the Constitution. The process involves the following steps:
128: This Constitution shall only be altered in the following manner:
- Any member of the Commonwealth of Australia may initiate a referendum, provided that the proposer gathers the signatures electronically or signed in wet ink on paper of at least 100,000 voters.
- If the initiator cannot gather the required number of signatures within six months, it cannot be submitted to Parliament. The initiator may have no more than three attempts to propose an amendment.
- Written voting forms must include identity verified by a voting official at the time of submission by presenting a pictorial Identity containing name, address and signature as registered with the Electoral Commission.
- The proposed referendum question must be provided on the initiating A4-size document on the first page above the signatures of the voters. Subsequent pages may contain no more than twenty signatures preceded by the signatory’s Name and Postcode, and all pages must be clearly numbered consecutively, in this manner: Example: 1 of 100.
- When the required number of signatures have been gathered, the proposer will submit the referendum proposal to the Federal Parliament, bound with a clear plastic front cover showing the Title of the Proposal, the Proposer’s Name, and the Date the proposal is filed with the Parliament.
- The Parliament will set up a Referendum Assessment Committee to discuss the proposal. The committee will consult with the proposer to clarify any questions of law or other concerns. When both parties agree that the proposed referendum conforms to our Commonwealth of Australia Act 1900 constitutional laws, as well as ensuring approval will not adversely affect the community at large, the Committee will approve the proposal and hand it back to Parliament for further processing. Should the Committee decide that the proposed amendment will not benefit the nation, it will be rejected and notice sent to the proposer, with reasons and suggestions to amend it if necessary.
- The Parliament will set a date to hold the referendum vote no more than 90 days after the Proposal has been filed with the Parliament, and it will order the Australian Electoral Commission to set up the Referendum Vote on a day within that time limit. The AEC shall provide the referendum question in electronic form for voting by the digital voting app. The AEC will also provide paper referendum voting papers and sealable envelopes at all Post Office outlets. Voters will post their sealed vote to the AEC headquarters for counting in front of no less than three volunteer scrutineers from the community.
- Vote counting will be conducted on the day of the Referendum but may be extended until all postal votes have been counted. The result will be announced nationally by the AEC Chairman.
- If the people vote to approve the proposed law, it shall immediately become law by publishing it in the Government Gazette, and the Constitution shall be amended by adding an ‘A’ to the Constitution Section number, as in this example: 51 (xxA).
- No alteration shall become law unless the majority of the electors voting in the referendum approve the proposed law. A majority shall be a minimum of 51% in each Region, and 51% of all Regions must also approve the proposed law.
4 Object of this Act
If you want to have a say in government, We, the People of the Commonwealth of Australia, must have the right to initiate referendums. Then we can start changing the laws to bring in government that is directly responsible to We the People….not to a political party.
Visit our information website at: CIRNow.com.au
(The text in this page is Copyright (c) CIRNow and Advance-Australia HQ 2016 and may not be copied, reproduced, published or used in way without express permission)
The above is the proposal put out for consideration by Advance Australia HQ. We ask any and all Australians to send us their thoughts and suggestions to improve the proposed Bill so that it meets the wishes of all Australians. Click here to Contact us with your suggestions.