What is a double majority in Australian constitutional referendums?

What is a double majority in Australian constitutional referendums?

• A. A nationwide majority only
• B. A majority of states only
• C. A nationwide majority and a majority of states (at least 4 of the 6)
• D. Approval by both houses of Parliament

Answer: (C)

Double majority means a constitutional change must win two things at once: more than half of voters across the whole country (a nationwide majority) and yes votes in a majority of the states. With six states, that means at least four states must vote yes. Territories don’t count toward the state tally, but their voters do count toward the national total. This setup reflects Australia’s federation by ensuring broad cross‑state support as well as overall popularity. If a referendum gets national majority but only 3 states vote yes, it fails; if it gets state support but not nationwide majority, it also fails.

Double majority means a constitutional change must win two things at once: more than half of voters across the whole country (a nationwide majority) and yes votes in a majority of the states. With six states, that means at least four states must vote yes. Territories don’t count toward the state tally, but their voters do count toward the national total. This setup reflects Australia’s federation by ensuring broad cross‑state support as well as overall popularity. If a referendum gets national majority but only 3 states vote yes, it fails; if it gets state support but not nationwide majority, it also fails.