Year 10 - Referenda


Year 10

2 sections  









Tasmanian Dams Referendum


Tasmanian Dams Referendum

In 1978 the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission, then owned by the Tasmanian Government, developed a proposal to construct a dam to be used for electricity generation.

Two sites were considered - the Franklin Dam or the Gordon-below-Franklin Dam on the Gordon River. A referendum (the 'Power Referendum') was held on Saturday 12 December 1981, giving voters a choice between the 2 locations.

There was not an option to vote 'no'.

33% of the ballot papers had the phrase 'No Dams' written across them, which meant those ballot papers became informal votes and could not be counted.

Tasmanian Dams Case

Newspaper article about the result of the Tasmanian Dams Case.  1983.

  Back to top of page








Resources for

 Teachers



Chris Arthur recalls the Franklin River campaign, 2008

Personal story of an anti-dam protestor, recalling his protest resultant arrest, court case through to his current role as the Parks and Reserve Manager in the Tasmanian wilderness. The Learning Federation ID R9382 (use your Scootle Login to access)

Learning and Teaching suggestion - Opportunity for rich discussion around personal conviction, how change and opportunity are interrelated and students' reactions to the story.

The Franklin Wild River

3 short clips from this documentary with accompanying educational notes.

Franklin River Journey

3 clips from this documentary recording one man's personal journey down the Franklin, with accompanying educational notes.

Protesters at Franklin Dam site, with accompanying educational notes.

Video of interview with Bob Brown as he recalls the campaign.

Getting Things Done: Dam

Discovering Democracy resource – an annotated slideshow of photographs of various aspects of the campaign. The Learning Federation ID L9525 (use your Scootle Login to access)

Brief Case Study of environmental law as posted by QUT faculty member. Includes photographs and numerous scanned documents.

Brief overview of the Dam referendum, with a photo and some interesting links.

Dams Case Role Play from the Parliamentary Education Office. Students who visit Canberra may have participated in this program at Old Parliament House. Detailed notes and script using Hansard excerpts.

  Back to top of page


This content is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any other purpose.