Australian referendum, 1977 ( Retirement of judges ) - wikipedia Australian referendum, 1977 ( Retirement of judges ) The Constitution Alteration ( Retirement of Judges ) 1977 was an Australian referendum held in the 1977 referendums in which electors approved an amendment to the Australian constitution to provide for a retirement age for federal judges. After receiving a majority approval in each state, the proposal was carried, and the Constitution Alteration ( Retirement of Judges ) 1977 amended Chapter III of the Constitution so that federal judges were required to retire at the age of 70. Contents 1 Question 2 Results 3 Discussion 4 References 5 External links Question It is proposed to alter the Constitution so as to provide for retiring ages for judges of federal courts. Do you approve the proposed law ? Results Result State On rolls Ballots issued For Against Invalid % % New South Wales 3,007,511 2,774,388 2,316,999 84.84 % 414,070 15.16 % 43,319 Victoria 2,252,831 2,083,136 1,659,273 81.43 % 378,505 18.57 % 45,358 Queensland 1,241,426 1,138,842 734,183 65.24 % 391,227 34.76 % 13,432 South Australia 799,243 745,990 622,760 85.57 % 104,987 14.43 % 18,243 Western Australia 682,291 617,463 472,228 78.37 % 130,307 21.63 % 14,928 Tasmania 259,081 246,063 174,951 72.46 % 66,478 27.54 % 4,634 Australian Total 8,242,383 7,605,882 5,980,394 80.10 % 1,485,574 19.90 % 139,914 Obtained majority in all six States and an overall majority of 4,494,820 votes. Carried Discussion In October 1976 the Senate Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs recommended a retiring age for all federal judges. This recommendation was based on a perceived need ' to maintain vigorous and dynamic courts ' a need to open up avenues for ' able legal practitioners ' to achieve judicial positions a growing community belief in a compulsory retiring age for judges avoiding ' the unfortunate necessity ' of removing a judge made unfit for office by declining health. The committee 's view was accepted by the Australian Constitutional Convention soon after. The amendment introduced in the following year sought to provide for a retiring age of seventy for all federal court judges, including those on the High Court -- though not judges appointed before the approval of the referendum. The issue was not controversial, despite Sir Robert Menzies ' description of the change as ' superficial and ill - considered '. Over 80 per cent of voters supported the amendment. The amendment applied prospectively, meaning the tenure of those High Court and Federal Court judges appointed prior to the referendum were unaffected. Of the serving High Court judges, only Sir Garfield Barwick made use of his original tenure, retiring in 1981 at the age of 77. The remaining judges either retired, resigned, or died, with the exception of Harry Gibbs and Anthony Mason, who were appointed Chief Justice and thus lost their right to the original life tenure. Several Federal Court judges made use of their original tenure. References ^ Jump up to : Australian Electoral Commission ( 2011 ). `` Referendum dates and results 1906 - present ''. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 September 2012. Jump up ^ Commonwealth of Australia. `` Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act Amendment to Section 72, page 15 ''. Retrieved 25 September 2012. Jump up ^ Handbook of the 44th Parliament ( 2014 ) `` Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites - Referendum results ''. Parliamentary Library of Australia... External links Full text of Constitution Alteration ( Retirement of Judges ) 1977 Elections and referendums in Australia Federal elections 1901 1903 1906 1910 1913 1914 1917 1919 1922 1925 1928 1929 1931 1934 1937 1940 1943 1946 1949 1951 1953 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1964 1966 1967 1969 1970 1972 1977 1980 1984 1998 2007 2013 2016 next by - elections Referendums 1906 1910 1911 1913 1916 1917 1919 1926 1928 1937 1944 1946 1948 1951 1967 1973 1977 1984 1999 2017 Elections in : Australian Capital Territory New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_referendum,_1977_(Retirement_of_Judges)&oldid=754380824 '' Categories : 1977 in Australia Amendments to the Constitution of Australia 1977 referendums Referendums in Australia Constitutional referendums in Australia Judiciary of Australia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 12 December 2016, at 10 : 12. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: the age of retirement of the judges of the high court is
Answer: 70