Toast
Glen Le Lievre
By the time summer arrived in late 2019 much of the country was already in drought. Below average rainfall and high temperatures signalled danger ahead. On 19 December Nullarbor in South Australia hit 49.9 degrees Celsius, an Australian record for December. By January, with fires raging across states and territories, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed what many people suspected — that 2019 had been the warmest and driest on record. Australia was indeed toast.
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Collection
Our collection captures the ideas, movements, people and events of Australian democracy.
1916: Conscription
Australians were asked to vote on whether men in National Service could be deployed to fight in World War One.
1977: National Song Poll
Australians were asked to pick a song for the national anthem in 1977.
1946: Social Services referendum
The 1946 referendum led to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and the beginnings of universal healthcare.
Referendums A to Z
What is a referendum? Why should you care? We’ve broken down everything you need to know, from A to Z.
'We've been sacked': the 1975 Whitlam government dismissal
For the first time in Australian history, a governor-general dismissed a prime minister and government.
