Did the referendum of 1967 made indigenous people Australian citizens?
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.
How did Aboriginal people feel about the 1967 referendum?
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activists today are concerned that the 1967 Referendum didn’t remedy the Constitution’s original failure to recognise the unique status of First Nations people as the original inhabitants of the land.
Who was excluded from the 1967 referendum?
Section 51 of the Constitution which excluded Aboriginal people from any federal laws.
Did the 1967 referendum enable Aboriginal people have equal rights to other Australians?
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 not about?
The 1967 referendum did not give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to vote. This right had been legislated for Commonwealth elections in 1962, with the last State to provide Indigenous enfranchisement being Queensland in 1965.
What was the 1967 referendum trying to change?
Saturday 27th of May marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum in which Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the census.
What were the arguments for the 1967 referendum?
The referendum attracted more than 90% of voters in favour of deleting the two references to Aborigines in Australia’s Constitution. Campaigners for a “Yes” vote successfully argued those references were discriminatory and debarred Aboriginal people from citizenship.
What rights did Aboriginal people have between 1901 1967?
What rights did Aboriginal people have between 1901–1967? At the time of Federation, Aborigines were excluded from the rights of Australian citizenship, including the right to vote, the right to be counted in a census and the right to be counted as part of an electorate.
Why did the census not apply to Indigenous people from 1901 1967?
THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM (1967) If people stated that they were more than ‘half Aboriginal’ in heritage they were excluded from published Census results. At this time, estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were made by authorities responsible for native welfare.