Australian plebiscite, 1917

The 1917 Australian plebiscite was held on 20 December 1917. It contained one question.

• Are you in favour of the proposal of the Commonwealth Government for reinforcing the Australian Imperial Force
  Australian Imperial Force
  The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
  
   overseas?

The Plebiscite

This plebiscite was held due to the Government's desire to increase the available forces for overseas service during the ongoing World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, to a total of 7000 men per month. It was conducted under the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917. It formed part of the larger debate on conscription in Australia throughout the war.

Results

Result

State	On rolls	Ballots issued	For		Against		Informal	Result
				%		%
New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	1,055,883	853,894	341,256	41.16%	487,774	58.84%	24,864	No
Victoria	807,331	678,806	329,772	49.79%	332,490	50.21%	16,544	No
Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	378,378	310,164	132,771	44.02%	168,875	55.98%	8,518	No
South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	261,661	197,970	86,663	44.90%	106,364	55.10%	4,943	No
Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	162,347	135,593	84,116	64.39%	46,522	35.61%	4,955	Yes
Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	106,803	78,792	38,881	50.24%	38,502	49.76%	1,409	Yes
Federal Territories	4,037	3,002	1,700	58.22%	1,220	41.78%	82	Yes
Total for Commonwealth	2,776,440	2,258,221*	1,015,159	46.21%	1,181,747	53.79%	61,315	No
Obtained majority in two States and an overall minority of 166,588 votes.
Not carried

* Including 199 677 votes by members of the Australian Imperial Force, of which 103 789 were for, 93 910 against, and 1978 informal.