1967 Australian referendum

This article is about the both questions asked in the 1967 referendum. For the first part, increasing the number of Members in the House of Representatives, see 1967 Australian referendum (Parliament). For the second part of the 1967 referendum, regarding certain matters on Indigenous Australians, see 1967 Australian referendum (Aboriginals).

The 1967 Australian referendum occurred on 27 May 1967 under the Holt government. It contained three topics asked about in two questions, regarding the passage of two bills to alter the Australian Constitution.[1]

The first question (Constitution Alteration (Parliament) Bill 1967) sought to increase the number of Members in the House of Representatives.[1] The second question (Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) Bill 1967) related to Indigenous Australians (referred to as "the Aboriginal Race") and was in two parts: whether to give the Federal Government the power to make laws for Indigenous Australians in states, and whether in population counts for constitutional purposes to include all Indigenous Australians.[1][2][3]

Results [4]
Question NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas States in favour Voters in favour Result
(25) Parliament Yes No No No No No 1:5 40% Not carried
(26) Aboriginal people Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 6:0 91% Carried
  1. ^ a b c "Constitution Alteration (Parliament) 1967 and Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967 Referendums: The Arguments For and Against the Proposed Alterations Together with a Statement Showing the Proposed Alterations". Commonwealth of Australia. 1967. Retrieved 15 August 2020 – via Austlii.
  2. ^ Arcioni, Elisa (1 September 2012). "Excluding Indigenous Australians from 'The People': A Reconsideration of Sections 25 and 127 of the Constitution". Federal Law Review. 40 (3): 287–315. doi:10.22145/flr.40.3.1. S2CID 210774854. (2012) 40(3) Federal Law Review 287. ISSN 1444-6928. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  3. ^ Thomas, Matthew (25 May 2017). "The 1967 Referendum". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Handbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).