As an additional question in the 1977 referendum

Australian referendum, 1977

The 1977 Australian Referendum was held on 21 May 1977. It contained four referendum questions and one non-binding plebiscite.Referendums:* Simultaneous Elections * Senate Casual Vacancies ...

, the voters were polled on which song they would prefer to be used to mark occasions where a particularly Australian national identity was desired. Voting on this question was not compulsory. According to the AEC Electoral Pocketbook, this was one of only three plebiscites to be held in Australia - the previous two had been regarding military service in 1916 and 1917.

Results

Against the background that ‘GOD SAVE THE QUEEN’ is the NATIONAL ANTHEM to be played on Regal and Vice Regal occasions, electors may indicate their preferences as to which of the tunes of the songs listed below they would prefer to be played on other occasions.

Result

State	On rolls	Ballots issued	"God Save the Queen God Save the Queen "God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns... "		"Advance Australia Fair Advance Australia Fair "Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song... "		"Song of Australia Song of Australia "The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline J. Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger , a prominent member of the Australian Forty-Eighters.The song was popularised in Australia... "		"Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia".... "		Informal
			Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	3,007,511	2,537,805	348,885	15.32	1,169,421	51.35	121,456	5.33	637,795	28.00	260,248
Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	2,252,831	1,951,160	352,603	20.68	683,451	40.09	110,591	6.49	557,991	32.73	246,524
Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	1,241,426	1,056,804	204,453	21.38	438,929	45.90	61,234	6.40	251,609	26.31	100,579
South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	799,243	706,392	114,477	18.07	152,507	24.07	215,085	33.95	151,434	23.90	72,889
Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	682,291	487,879	113,054	23.17	183,159	37.54	75,524	15.48	116,142	23.81	68,394
Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	259,081	253,525	47,346	22.38	88,825	41.98	21,091	9.97	54,329	25.68	23,934
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...	120,875	22,136	1,448	6.65	7,857	36.11	1,863	8.56	10,593	48.68	375
Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...	38,209	2,951	423	14.93	1,143	40.35	413	14.58	854	30.14	118
Total	8,401,467	7,069,046	1,182,689	18.78 %	2,725,292	43.29 %	607,257	9.65 %	1,780,747	28.28 %	773,061

Discussion

Prior to 1974 "God Save the Queen" was Australia's national anthem.

In 1974 the Whitlam

Gough Whitlam

Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...

 government performed a nationwide opinion survey, conducted through the Australian Bureau of Statistics, to determine the song to be sung on occasions of national significance. "Advance Australia Fair" was chosen and was enshrined as the national song, to be used on all occasions excepting those of a specifically regal nature.

In January 1976 the Fraser

Malcolm Fraser

John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...

government reinstated "God Save the Queen" for royal, vice-regal, defence and loyal toast occasions, and made plans to conduct a national poll to find a song for use on ceremonial occasions when it was desired to mark a separate Australian identity.