Local referendums tend not to attract the same levels of academic attention as national referendums. Even so, there is a growing literature in Europe, North America and Asia that recognises the role they play in local governance. This is not the case in Australia, where scholars have long focused almost entirely on national constitutional referendums. This paper helps to address that gap in three ways. First, it provides an overview of the different types of referendums that are available to local councils in the Australian federation. Second, it brings together data to examine local referendum usage in the period 1995-2025, including frequency, subject matter and results. And third, it evaluates whether the local referendum in Australia has served as a tool of citizen power over local affairs or merely as an instrument of citizen voice. The paper concludes by reflecting on the significance of the Australian experience for the practice of local direct democracy generally.
