what was 1999 referendum

The 1999 referendum was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament following a bi-partisan appointment model which had been approved by a half-elected, half-appointed Constitutional Convention held in Canberra in February 1998. The second question was whether to insert a preamble in the Constitution. The writs for the 1999 referendum were issued by the Governor-General on Friday 1 October 1999, officially triggering the referendum process. A separate writ was issued for each question as technically each of the two proposed changes to the Constitution was a separate referendum. The majority of Australians voted against both proposals, and the referendum was defeated.