1896 South Australian referendum
A referendum was held in South Australia on 25 April 1896, and dealt with matters relating to secular and religious education. The referendum was held concurrently with the 1896 South Australian election, the first in Australia in which women were eligible to vote and stand for office, and was the first referendum to be held in Australia.[1] The South Australian public affirmed the system of free, secular, state education in place at the time, and rejected scriptural instruction in state schools and a capitation grant for religious schools.
Background
Following the passage of the Free Education Bill in 1891, free and secular education had been provided to South Australian children in state schools. This prompted a number of church groups to campaign for scriptural instruction in state schools. The National Scriptural Education League, led by the
- Are you in favour of the continuance of the present system of education in State schools?
- Are you in favour of the introduction of Scriptural instruction in the State Schools during school hours?
- Are you in favour of the payment of a capitation grant to denominational schools for secular results?
The three options had initially been proposed as one question, which voters could either support or reject. However, Frederick Holder and Premier Charles Kingston moved that each part be considered separately.[2]
Results
Voters were instructed to place an 'X' next to a proposal to support it, or leave the proposal blank to reject it.[1] All subsequent referendums have been held in a Yes/No format. Of the 137,781 colonists on the electoral roll, 91,348 voted, a turnout of 66.3%.[1] The total informal vote was 12,830 (14%),.[1]
Proposal | Question | For (%) | Against (%) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Continuing present system | 51,681 (74.4) | 17,819 (25.6) | Yes |
2 | Scriptural instruction | 19,280 (35.6) | 34,834 (64.4) | No |
3 | Capitation grant | 13,349 (24.1) | 42,007 (75.9) | No |
Reaction
The
References
- ^ a b c d "South Australian Referenda" (PDF). State Electoral Office โ South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- ^ JSTOR 27508259.
- ^ "THE EDUCATIONAL REFERENDUM". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 25 April 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 10 August 2011 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "How the Referendum is Understood". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 25 April 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 13 December 2010 – via National Library of Australia.