what was the referendum in 1999

The 1999 Australian republic referendum was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The referendum was announced on August 12, 1999, and was 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 referendum was defeated, with 54.87% of voters voting "no" to the republic proposal and 60.65% voting "no" to the preamble proposal.