 By the end of 1914 around 53 @,@ 000 volunteers had been accepted , allowing a second contingent to depart in December . Meanwhile , reinforcements were sent at a rate of 3 @,@ 200 men per month . The landing at Anzac Cove subsequently resulted in a significant increase in enlistments , with 36 @,@ 575 men being recruited in July 1915 . Although this level was never again reached , enlistments remained high in late 1915 and early 1916 . From then a gradual decline occurred , and whereas news from Gallipoli had increased recruitment , the fighting at Fromelles and Pozieres did not have a similar effect , with monthly totals dropping from 10 @,@ 656 in May 1916 to around 6 @,@ 000 between June and August . Significant losses in mid @-@ 1916 , coupled with the failure of the volunteer system to provide sufficient replacements , resulted in the first referendum on conscription , which was defeated by a narrow margin . Although there was an increase in enlistments in September ( 9 @,@ 325 ) and October ( 11 @,@ 520 ) , in December they fell to the lowest total of the year ( 2 @,@ 617 ) . Enlistments in 1917 never exceeded 4 @,@ 989 ( in March ) . Heavy losses at Passchendaele resulted in a second referendum on conscription , which was defeated by an even greater margin . Recruitment continued to decline , reaching a low in December ( 2 @,@ 247 ) . Monthly intakes fell further in early 1918 , but peaked in May ( 4 @,@ 888 ) and remained relatively steady albeit reduced from previous periods , before slightly increasing in October ( 3 @,@ 619 ) prior to the armistice in November . 
