The most important Constitutional amendment made since 1905, this Act covered a number of Constitutional issues including the position of Governor; the existence of each House; and the reduction in the number of Members in either, to be alterable only by a process requiring both a parliamentary majority and a popular majority by referendum. Known as 'double entrenching', this gives additional status to a Constitutional statute as compared with ordinary legislation. This Constitutional change was made to strengthen the Constitutional provisions relating to the position of Governor and the bicameral system in the aftermath of the Federal constitutional crisis in 1975. No referendum has yet been held under the new provisions.

Sources

Black, D, The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832–1990, Parliament of Western Australia, Perth 1991.

Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, Acts and Other Information Relating to Parliament, The Assembly, Perth, 1991.

Lumb, RD, The Constitutions of the Australian States, (5th edn), University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1991.

Long Title:	An Act to amend the Constitution Act 1889–1970 and the Constitution Acts Amendment Act, 1899–1977 (No. 59 of 1978)
No. of pages:	8
Medium:	Heavy-weight paper
Measurements:	18 x 25 cm
Provenance:	Legislative Council of Western Australia
Location & Copyright:	State Records Office of Western Australia
Reference:	SROWA: AN 47/7, 1828/4714