Western Australian Secession Referendum of 1933 (Setting Sun)

A secession referendum was held on the 8th of April 1933 in the Australian State of Western Australia on the proposal that the state withdraw from the Commonwealth of Australia. The proposal won a majority of the votes and a petition to give effect to the decision was subsequently sent to the British Parliament, where a parliamentary joint select committee ruled it valid, granting Western Australia Independence.

Background
Since the birth of Australia in 1901, Western Australia has always had a sizable will to become Independent, the original Australian Constitution did not even mention Western Australia in it until an Amendment was made to add them.

In 1926, James Smith, the proprietor for a local newspaper 'The Sunday Times', established the Secession League (SL) to provide a public platform to the advancing the secession cause. The reasoning behind this was that Western Australia produced far more for Australia then was given back and so many Western Australians saw the rest of Australia as a economic leech on their state. When the Great Depression hit Australia, unemployment reached 30% in Western Australia which caused economic havoc.

In 1930, Keith Watson, founded the Dominion League (DL) which had similar goals to the Secession League and the two groups would work together on their common goal. the two parties continued to campaign their platform to the people of Western Australia. In 1933, under pressure of the Secession League and the Dominion League, the Premier of Western Australia, Sir James Mitchell, hosted a referendum for secession alongside the state parliamentary election.

The Referendum
Two questions were voted on at the referendum:
 * Question 1: Are you in favour of the State of Western Australia withdrawing from the Federal Commonwealth established under the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (Imperial)?
 * Question 2: Are you in favour of a Convention of Representatives of equal number from each of the Australian states being summoned for the purpose of proposing such alterations in the Constitution of the Commonwealth as may appear to such Convention to be necessary?Westraliasecession3.jpg

There were 237,198 registered voters, and voting was compulsory. The result on the first question was 138,653 in favour and 70,706 against. Question Two was rejected by a vote of 119,031 to 88,275. Only six of the fifty electoral districts recorded a No vote on the first question, five of them being in the Goldfields and Kimberley regions.

Once the results came in, a delegation was sent to the United Kingdom to secure Western Australian Independence. This delegation was made up of Sir Hal Colebatch, Matthew Lewis Moss, James MacCallum Smith, and Keith Watson. They presented their case to the British Parliament and the results of the referendum. "'Our opponents lay great stress on the words contained in the preamble to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act: Have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and under the Constitution hereby established.'""'They emphasise the word 'indissoluble'. We insist on the equal importance of the rest of the section: 'Under the Crown' and 'under this Constitution'. Will it be contended that if – a highly improbable suggestion – the always loyal Commonwealth of Australia decided to break away from the British Crown and establish a republic, we in Western Australia should still be bound in the 'indissoluble Federal Commonwealth?'""'Our contention is that the words 'under the Constitution hereby established' are of equal significance, and if we can demonstrate – as we are prepared to do – that in a number of essentials, the Constitution has been violated to our detriment, we are entitled to be relieved from our bargain. The federation is a partnership between six States in which certain guarantees were given and certain safeguards were provided. We can show that these guarantees have been violated – that these safeguards have been swept aside – and so we ask for the annulment of the partnership.'""'After all, what does the word 'indissoluble' mean? Remember that it occurs only in the preamble and not in the Act itself. Is any arrangement made in this world indissoluble? Can the rulers of any country 'dressed in a little brief authority', bind the people of that country not merely to the third and fourth generation, but for all time? Is there either justice or common sense in continuing an agreement that is working badly? Is a party to that agreement – after giving it a trial for 35 years and having proved it to be hampering to its industries, destructive to its prosperity and a grave bar to its development – prohibited from seeking relief?'"After an agonizing 18 months of negotiation with the British Parliament, their proposal was accepted by the Joint Select Committee and the Delegation returned to Western Australia with their declaration of Independence.

Aftermath
After the British Parliament validated the referendum in 1934, Western Australia broke away from Australia. Western Australia, without a constitution or any federal government Institutions, remained under join British and Australian Control until it was ready to fully separate. This temporary government would be known as the Western Australian Transitional Government. This government was headed by Sir James Mitchell.