The first referendum on Conscription was held on 28 October 1916. The question that had been asked of voters was framed carefully – it did not specifically mention conscription, and noted the existing powers of conscription for national (but not overseas) service.

The result was close, and was not certain for some days after the vote. Ultimately a majority of less than 100 000 decided the issue with 1,087,557 voting ‘Yes’, but 1,160,033 ‘No’. The only state with a large ‘Yes’ majority was Western Australia, but Victoria and Tasmania there were narrow ‘Yes’ majorities. Voting was voluntary in the referendum, but such was the intensity of the issue that the national turnout, nearly 83%, was greater than at any previous election in Australia.

The second referendum question was even more vaguely worded than the first – it referred only to the “proposal of the Commonwealth Government for reinforcing the Australian Imperial Force overseas”. Moreover, Hughes issued regulations that would bar many people from voting, including anyone born overseas, or whose father had been born overseas. Nonetheless, on 20 December 1917, an increased majority voted ‘No’, by 1,181,747 to 1,015,159. The overall turnout was slightly lower, but the number of ‘No’ voters increased, suggesting that many people who voted ‘Yes’ the first time around switched their votes. Victorian voters certainly did; in the second referendum, Victoria returned a ‘No’ vote.