Can an Australian state secede?

Question

Just wondering if a state can separate from the Federation and declare its independence from the Commonwealth.

Answer 1

In 1938, 68% of Western Australians voted to secede from the Commonwealth. (1)  

"The present day Secessionists, just as their honoured predecessors of the 1930s, desire nothing but an honourable withdrawal from Federation. They earnestly desire that Secession be accomplished in the most friendly spirit, with the utmost goodwill and without leaving any trace of bitterness behind it. The withdrawal of WA does not involve the severence of a race. The people of WA were good Australians before Federation, they have been good Australians in Federation, and they will be good Australians having withdrawn from Federation. The people of WA will still be loyal subjects of the Queen, living in Amity with their neighbours, and vying with them in their loyalty to the Crown and their attachment to the Commonwealth.

"Let it be emphasised that we are not seeking secession from our Eastern neighbours, but secession from the power grasping tentacles of central government."

Lang Hancock, "A Condensed Case for Secession", August 1974. [PR8823/3]

The failure of the secession movement in the 1930s did not destroy secessionist sentiments in the west. During the 1970s a Westralian Secession Movement was formed with the financial backing of mining magnate Lang Hancock. Fielding Don Thomas as an unsuccessful candidate in the 1974 Senate election campaign, the movement represented a conservative reaction to the centralist policies of the Whitlam Labor Government. It was fuelled by resentment that in spite of Western Australia's newly developed mineral wealth it had remained a 'Cinderella State', contributing more to the Commonwealth than it received .

Western Australian grievances about the distribution of the State's resource wealth were added to long-standing concerns about the increased power of the federal government. Clearly, secessionist feeling still percolates through some sections of Western Australian society and is a part of Western Australian identity. With every major conflict between the State and the Commonwealth the letters section of the West Australian receives letters from citizens calling for Western Australia to go its own way.

During the 1999 Federal referendum campaign Western Australian secessionists, under the banner of 'Our State, Our People, Our Flag' urged electors to 'Be Western Australian and Think Western Australian' and vote 'no' to a new federation. Their campaign literature even drew from the 1934 Secession Act.   (2) & (3)

Answer 2

Western Australia could do very well. They have a huge amount of our resources in the mining industry. Also wheat, cattle, tourism and more.

Answer 3

Certainly one could if a majority of its people agree, but there would be few advantages and quite a few disadvantages.



WA is the only state ever likely to secede but it covers an enormous area with an very large percentage of, at best, marginal land. It would be unlikely to ever support a large enough population to build and maintain the infrastructure and provide the services currently provided by the Commonwealth. The mining industry is obviously a huge $ contributor but unless it's nationalised (WAised?) it will only ever contribute royalties.

The provision of defence, tax department functions, immigration, quarantine, border security and many others is currently paid for by the Commonwealth. Any state which secedes would need to find money for those things.

All in all, secession is one of those things that seems like a good idea when you first think about it, but when everything is taken into account is probably not a good idea.

Answer 4

Section 123 of the Australian Constitution:

The Parliament of the Commonwealth may, with the consent of the Parliament of a State, and the approval of the majority of the electors of the State voting upon the question, increase, diminish, or otherwise alter the limits of the State, upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed on, and may, with the like consent, make provision respecting the effect and operation of any increase or diminution or alteration of territory in relation to any State affected.

This may make it possible, with the consent of everyone listed, to minimise the territory of a particular state so as to exclude the balance of the state from Australia.

Answer 5

There is no legal mechanism for succession.  Sorry to say s. 123 is not relevant as if you change the border of a state you do not excise the balance from the rest of the Commonwealth.

The only means for this to happen would be declaration of independence by a territorial region and the defacto or de jure recognition of this by the balance of the nation - a revolution in other words.  This may not be necessarily violent but would require a significant group to simply say that they do not recognise the constitution as binding upon them and then have the muscle to make this stick.  The lack of an escape clause in the constitution is therefore over-ridden.