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.
Essentially these changes allowed for Aboriginal people to be included in the census and altered the 'race power' to allow federal parliament to make 'special laws' about Aboriginal peoples.
This change meant that Aboriginal people would be counted as part of the population and acknowledged as equal citizens, and that the Commonwealth would be able to make laws on their behalf. This was seen to reflect public recognition of Aboriginal people as full Australian citizens.
In a 1967 referendum, over 90% of Australian voters agreed to change our Constitution to give the federal parliament the power to make laws in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to allow for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be included in the census.
90.77% of voters voted in favour of the 'Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967', which was the highest 'yes' vote ever recorded in a federal 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.
The 1967 referendum was the most successful in Australia's history.
The British settlement in Australia was not peaceful. Aboriginal people were moved off their traditional land and killed in battles or by hunting parties. European diseases such as measles and tuberculosis also killed many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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.
Success rate
Of forty-four referendums, there have been five instances – in 1937, twice in 1946, and once each in 1977 and 1984 – where a national Yes vote has been achieved but failed to win a majority of states.
The 1967 referendum – in which over 90% of voters agreed that First Australians deserved equal constitutional rights – remains the most successful referendum in Australian history.
Land rights legislation
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 has resulted in almost 50 per cent of the Northern Territory being returned to Aboriginal peoples. Some state governments followed the lead of the Australian Government and introduced their own land rights legislation.
The culmination of a long campaign, driven by many Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations and people, the 1967 Referendum was a turning point in race relations in Australia. Over 90% of Australians voted 'yes'.
Most Australians thought that the 1967 referendum would allow full citizenship rights for Indigenous Australians. But the referendum didn't give Aborigines the vote, equal pay or citizenship rights. It also didn't address their rates of pay or personal freedoms – issues that also needed urgent attention.
In the 1967 referendum, no parliamentarian voted against the proposals relating to First Australians, so only a 'Yes' committee was formed, and only a 'Yes' case was prepared and sent to voters. On the 27 May 1967 over 90.77% of voters voted 'yes', which was the highest 'yes' vote ever recorded in a federal referendum.
This history of injustice has meant that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been denied access to basic human rights, such as rights to health, housing, employment and education. Did you know that there were over 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages at the time of colonisation?
From the first federal electoral Act in 1902 to 1965, when the last state changed its law, tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were subject to regulations which prohibited them from voting at federal and state elections.
Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law.
The 1967 Referendum had a significant impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Prior to this event, these people had still not received some basic civil rights. The Referendum proposed to include Aboriginal people in the census and to allow the Commonwealth government to make laws for them.
In effect, Indigenous people were expected to become like, and live like non-Indigenous Australians. Yet discriminatory policies still controlled many (sometimes all) aspects of Indigenous peoples lives, denied them equal wages and employment conditions and the social welfare benefits available to other Australians.
In the 1960s, Aboriginal people achieved citizenship, financial assistance, and equal pay, and won back rights to their land and rights to the preservation of their cultural heritage.
Campaigners for the “yes” vote successfully argued that those references were discriminatory and excluded First Nations people from citizenship. The referendum secured the amendment of Section 51 (xxvi) and the removal of Section 127.
Australians vote yes to change the Constitution
A resounding 90.77 per cent said 'Yes' and every single state and territory had a majority result for the 'Yes' vote. It was one of the most successful national campaigns in Australia's history.
While all states, including Western Australia, returned a 'Yes' vote, there were varied responses across the nation. WA returned the lowest 'Yes' vote at 80.95%.
On May 27, 1967, Australians voted overwhelmingly in favour of amending the Constitution to allow the Australian Government to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and include them in the census.