Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, 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:

And whereas it is expedient to provide for the admission into the Commonwealth of other Australasian Colonies and possessions of the Queen:

Be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: ---

Short Title

This Act may be cited as the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act.

Act to extend to the Queen’s successors

The provisions of this Act referring to the Queen shall extend to Her Majesty’s heirs and successors in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom

Proclamation of Commonwealth

It shall be lawful for the Queen, with the advice of the Privy Council, to declare by proclamation that, on and after a day therein appointed, not being later than one year after the passing of this Act, the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, and also, if Her Majesty is satisfied that the people of Western Australia have agreed thereto, of Western Australia, shall be united in a Federal Commonwealth under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia. But the Queen may, at any time after the proclamation, appoint a Governor General of the Commonwealth.

Commencement of Act

The Commonwealth shall be established, and the Constitution of the Commonwealth shall take effect, on and after the day so appointed. But the Parliaments of the several colonies may at any time after the passing of this Act make any such laws, to come into operation on the day so appointed, as they might have made if the Constitution had taken effect at the passing of this Act.

Operation of the Constitution and laws

This Act, and all laws made by the Parliament of the Commonwealth under the Constitution, shall be binding on the courts, judges, and people of every State and of every part of the Commonwealth, notwithstanding anything in the laws of any State; and the laws of the Commonwealth shall be in force on all British ships, the Queen’s ships of war excepted, whose first port of clearance and whose first port of destination are in the Commonwealth.

Definitions

"The Commonwealth" shall mean the Commonwealth of Australia as established under this Act.

"The States" shall mean such of the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, including the northern territory of South Australia, as for the time being are parts of the Commonwealth, and such colonies or territories as may be admitted into or established by the Commonwealth as States: and each of the parts of the Commonwealth shall be called "a State".

"Original States" shall mean such States as are parts of the Commonwealth at its establishment.

Repeal of Federal Council Act

The Federal Council of Australasia Act, 1885, is hereby repealed, but so as not to effect any laws passed by the Federal Council of Australasia and in force at the establishment of the Commonwealth.

Any such law may be repealed as to any State by the Parliament of the Commonwealth, or as to any colony not being a State by the Parliament thereof.

Application of Colonial Boundaries Act

After the passing of this Act the Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895, shall not apply to any colony which becomes a State of the Commonwealth; but the Commonwealth shall be taken to be a self governing colony for the purposes of that Act.

Constitution

The Constitution of the Commonwealth shall be as follows: --

This proposed law would make the following additions to the Constitution.

With hope in God, the Commonwealth of Australia is constituted as a democracy with a federal system of government to serve the common good.

We the Australian people commit ourselves to this Constitution:

proud that our national unity has been forged by Australians from many ancestries; never forgetting the sacrifices of all who defended our country and our liberty in time of war;

upholding freedom, tolerance, individual dignity and the rule of law;

honouring Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, the nation’s first people, for their deep kinship with their lands and for their ancient and continuing cultures which enrich the life of our country;

recognising the nation-building contribution of generations of immigrants;

mindful of our responsibility to protect our unique natural environment;

supportive of achievement as well as equality of opportunity for all;

and valuing independence as dearly as the national spirit which binds us together in both adversity and success.

The preamble to this Constitution has no legal force and shall not be considered in interpreting this Constitution or the law in force in the Commonwealth or any part of the Commonwealth.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens:

Justice, social, economic and political;

Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

Equality of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all

Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of our Nation

It is appreciated that drafting a constitutional preamble is not necessarily everyone’s ’cup of tea’. However, it is important that everyone has a say in what should or should not be in our constitution. To this end, the following matrix has been prepared to allow everyone to have input into what finally appears in our ‘Model Constitution’.

Please tick the box that most closely reflects your view of what should or should not be in our preamble.

OR

OR

OR

We the People of Australia, conscious of our responsibilities to human kind, declare sovereignty over this land Australia and pledge to preserve our natural environment as was done by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inhabitants before us. Having sought the blessing of Almighty God and created a Federation under the Crown in 1901, we now declare Australia as a free, independent, democratic and egalitarian society in which justice for all is paramount and in which each and every citizen has equal rights and responsibilities and is equal before the law. A society governed by a Parliament of Elected Representatives constrained only by the will of the people and this Constitution adopted by referendum as the cornerstone and basic law of our nation the Commonwealth of Australia.

We the people of Australia relying on the blessing of Almighty God and acknowledging the original occupancy and custodianship of Australia by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, do hereby enact this Constitution as the cornerstone and basic law of our society. This Nation, having evolved by peaceful means from six dependent colonies to a freely established Federation under the Crown, now declare The Commonwealth of Australia as a fully independent, free, democratic and egalitarian society with sovereignty over the land of Australia as defined in this Constitution. Recognising and honouring the sacrifices made by many in the defence and development of our society, the People of Australia declare that for now and for evermore this society will be governed by the people for the people using a system of democratically elected representatives. We further declare that as far as possible we will preserve this land and its natural flora and fauna in the natural state. We undertake to abide by the laws of the society, to respect the rights and cultures of all citizens, and to strive for justice for all.

We the People of Australia relying on the blessing of God and cognisant of our duty to all other citizens of the world, enact by referendum this Constitution as the cornerstone of our society. This Nation, having evolved by peaceful means from dependent colonies to a freely established Federation, now declare The Commonwealth of Australia as a fully independent, free, democratic and egalitarian society with sovereignty over the land of Australia as defined in this Constitution. The People of Australia; including descendants of the original inhabitants, descendants of the early settlers, and the more recent migrants and refugees from around the world who have accepted all the rights and obligations of Australian citizenship; declare that for now and for evermore this society will be governed by the people for the people using a system of democratically elected representatives as defined in this Constitution. We further declare that as far as possible we will preserve this country and its natural flora and fauna in the natural state. We undertake to abide by the laws of the society, to respect the rights of all citizens, and to strive for justice at all times.