A guide to resources around the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice referendum
The 1967 referendum was held on 27 May. There were two proposed changes to the Constitution tabled for the referendum.
The first item on the ballot, called Constitution Alteration (Parliament) 1967, proposed amending Section 24 by removing the requirement that the number of members of the House of Representatives should be, "as nearly as practicable", twice the number of Senators.
This motion was defeated.
The proposed changes in relation to Aboriginal Australians were the second item on the referendum ballot, and related to the wording of the Constitution. Specifically, it targeted Section 51 (xxvi) and Section 127 (as listed in 'The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act' (submitted to and accepted by the British Parliament in 1900).
The original text stated:
Section 51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:-
...(xxvi) The people of any race, other than the Aboriginal people in any State, for whom it is
necessary to make special laws.
Section 127. In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, Aboriginal natives should not be counted
The changes proposed by the 1967 referendum were:
These changes were supported by the major political parties, and overwhelmingly by Australians. The second item on the referendum ballot was passed by 90.77%.
The changes made to the Constitution were tabled on 10 August 1967 – Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967 (Act No 55 of 1967).
The most recent version of the Australian Constitution is listed on the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislation.
The 1967 referendum [electronic resource] : race, power and the Australian Constitution by Bain Atwood and Andrew Markus (Aboriginal Studies Press, 2007). (Note: requires login to State Library Victoria catalogue to access)
Myths persist about the 1967 referendum by Ron Sutton (SBS News, 11 March 2014)
The 1967 referendum by Sarah Matthews (State Library Victoria blog, 27 May 2017)
‘Right wrongs, write Yes’: what was the 1967 referendum all about? by Russell McGregor (The Conversation, 24 May 2017)
Contrary to what many believe, the 1967 referendum did not give Aboriginals the 'right to vote'.
Some Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander peoples were allowed to vote even before the federation of Australia, whilst most from Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory did not have voting rights until the 1960s.
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were formally given the right to vote in federal elections and referendums via the amendment to the Commonwealth Electoral Act made by the federal parliament in 1962.
It took until 1965 for all states in Australia to pass legislation that gave Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders these rights in state-based elections.
See the following resources for more information:
The right to vote, published by Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Indigenous Australians right to vote, published by National Museum Australia
Electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians, published by Australian Electoral Commission
The 'Right Wrongs' website (published in 2017 and hosted on the ABC website) was created to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the 1967 referendum.
An in-depth exploration of the history of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia; Right Wrongs looks at why the referendum happened, how it occurred, and what the short and long term impact of the referendum was.
Many libraries and organisations within Australia contributed materials towards this website, including State Library Victoria.
The full list of resources contributed from the libraries can be found via the National and State Library Association website.
If you have any questions or feedback regarding this guide, please contact us via the Ask a Librarian service.
