What is the significance of the 1967 referendum?
The 1967 Referendum was the most successful in our history winning 93 percent of votes cast. This empowered the national government to make laws in respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that could assist in addressing inequalities.
What was the 1967 referendum and what did and didn’t it change?
The Referendum gave the federal government the power to make laws for First Nations people, but it didn’t require that those laws would ensure equality and wouldn’t be discriminatory.
What was the reason for the change to the Australian Constitution in 1967?
On 27 May 1967, Australians voted in favour of changes to the Australian Constitution to improve the services available to Indigenous Australians. The changes focused on two sections of the Constitution, which discriminated against Aborigines.
How does an Australian referendum work?
The Governor-General issues a writ for a referendum which, like an election must be held on a Saturday. It can be held with an ordinary election but can also be held separately. In the four weeks after the bill is passed by parliament, the ‘yes’ case is prepares by members and senators who support the proposed changes.
What was the 1967 referendum influenced by?
Influenced by colonial views of the 19th century, the founding fathers of the Constitution incorporated sections which later ignited discussions which led to the 1967 referendum. These were sections 51 and 127.
What did the 1967 referendum reveal about attitudes towards the Aboriginal people in Australia at the time?
At the time of the 1967 referendum, Queensland and Western Australia, where Aboriginal people still lived ‘under the Act’, retained discriminatory legislation covering the rights, lives and freedom of Aboriginal people (although both these states had allowed Aboriginal franchise).
How did the 1967 referendum impact Australia?
The 1967 referendum did not end discrimination in Australia but instead opened a door for the Australian Government to make specific laws that applied to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that could assist in addressing inequalities.
Who was involved in the 1967 Australian referendum?
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), ‘The referendum Australia had to have’, AIATSIS website. National Museum Australia, ‘The Referendum, 1957–67’, Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957–1973 website….The 1967 Referendum.
| State | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| For | % | 94.68 |
| Against | Votes | 85 611 |
| % | 5.32 | |
| Informal | 19 957 |
What was the 1967 referendum about?
At the time of the 1967 referendum, Queensland and Western Australia, where Aboriginal people still lived ‘under the Act’, retained discriminatory legislation covering the rights, lives and freedom of Aboriginal people (although both these states had allowed Aboriginal franchise).
Did the 1967 referendum remedy the Constitution’s failure to recognise Indigenous people?
Many Indigenous activists today are concerned that the 1967 Referendum did not remedy the Constitution’s original failure to recognise the unique status of Indigenous people as the original inhabitants of the land. [6] Imagine being born in a country that didn’t think you were worth counting in the Census?
What was the question put at the referendum?
1 The question put at the referendum was: ‘Do you approve the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled—“An Act to alter the Constitution so as to omit certain words relating to the people of the Aboriginal race in any State and so that Aboriginals are to be counted in reckoning the Population”?’
Why did Australia change its constitution in 1967?
On 27 May 1967, Australians voted to change the Constitution so that like all other Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth would be able to make laws for them.