1950 Western Australian prohibition referendum

A referendum was held on 9 December 1950 in the Australian state of Western Australia on the topic of prohibition. It was the fourth referendum on the topic of liquor licensing, and the second put to voters with the same wording. The proposal that alcohol should be prohibited was rejected 73% of voters.

Overview

The referendum was conducted pursuant to Section 87(e) of the Licensing Act 1911, which had been added by an amending act in 1922 and allowed for five-yearly referendums. However, none had been conducted since the 1925 poll.

Referendum results

Question: Do you agree with the proposal that prohibition shall come into force in Western Australia?[1]

YES NO
27.0% (60,001 votes) 73.0% (162,231 votes)

Aftermath

No further polls were held on the topic of liquor licensing, and Section 87 of the Licensing Act was repealed in 1959.[2]

References

  1. ^ "HEAVY VOTE AGAINST BAN ON LIQUOR". West Australian. 11 December 1950. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  2. ^ State Law Publisher (3 February 1959). "Western Australian Legislation - Licensing Act Amendment Act 1959". Retrieved 10 October 2009. Section 21 repealed section 81-98 in the Licensing Act.