what was the 1999 referendum about

The 1999 referendum in Australia was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The referendum was announced on August 12, 1999, and held on November 6, 1999. 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 asked whether a preamble should be inserted into the Constitution. The majority of analysis has advanced two main reasons for the referendum defeat: the Prime Ministers support for the referendum model, which was not shared by the majority of delegates, and the division of the electorate. The referendum failed to pass, with 54.87% of voters voting "no" to the republic proposal.