The Government has confirmed that its preferred date for the referendum on whether Australia should become a republic is Saturday 6th November 1999.

The constitutional changes and related legislation proposed to give effect to the republic model will be introduced into the Commonwealth Parliament in early June. Because of statutory requirements and the logistics of distributing printed Yes and No cases to each elector, the constitutional changes would need to be passed by 20 August for a referendum on 6 November.

A Joint Select Committee will be established in late May to consider the proposed provisions. The Committee is likely to continue its inquiry over the Winter recess and report back to the Parliament in early August. The Government proposes a committee of 18 members, with 12 members from the House of Representatives (6 Government and 6 Opposition) and 6 Senators (3 Government, 2 ALP and 1 Australian Democrats).

12 May 1999

The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, today indicated that the most likely date for the republic referendum will be Saturday, 6 November 1999. The Prime Minister told students at the National Schools Constitutional Convention in Canberra that the referendum is "likely to be the first Saturday in November." The date will not be finalised until the referendum bill passes through the Commonwealth Parliament, probably in August.

9 May 1999

At a meeting today of Commonwealth Law Ministers in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (a republic and member of the Commonwealth of Nations), the Commonwealth Attorney-General, The Honourable Daryl Williams, AM QC MP, informed the Ministers about the Australian referendum on the republic. Mr Williams sought to counter recent monarchist scaremongering on this issue by declaring that "Australia would continue to be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the name Commonwealth of Australia would be retained if the referendum on an Australian republic is supported by the people in November this year."

"Australia would not need to re-apply for membership of the Commonwealth if it became a republic, as constitutional status is not a criterion for membership. This would mean that if the proposed change was supported, Australia would still participate in the Commonwealth Games." The majority of members of the Commonwealth are already republics.