1967 Australian referendum (Aboriginals)

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

1967 Australian Aboriginals Referendum
27 May 1967 (1967-05-27)
Question 2
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"?
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 5,183,113 90.77%
No 527,007 9.23%
Valid votes 5,710,120 98.42%
Invalid or blank votes 91,464 1.58%
Total votes 5,801,584 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 6,182,585 93.84%
Results by county

The second question of the 1967 Australian referendum of 27 May 1967, called by the Holt government, related to Indigenous Australians. Voters were asked whether to give the Commonwealth Parliament the power to make special laws for Indigenous Australians,[1] and whether Indigenous Australians should be included in official population counts for constitutional purposes.[2][3][4] The term "the Aboriginal Race" was used in the question.[a]

Technically the referendum question was a vote on the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967 that would amend section 51(xxvi) and repeal section 127.[6]

The amendments to the Constitution were overwhelmingly endorsed, winning 90.77% of votes cast and having majority support in all six states.[7] The amendment became law on 10 August 1967.[6]

  1. ^ "The 1967 referendum | Ergo". ergo.slv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "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.
  3. ^ Sawer 1966, pp. 25–26, 30.
  4. ^ Arcioni 2012, pp. 300–301.
  5. ^ "Commonwealth v Tasmania". High Court of Australia. 1 July 1983. [1983] HCA 21. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) Act 1967". The Federal Register of Legislation. 10 August 1967. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  7. ^ Lewis, Balderstone & Bowan 2006, pp. 224–228.


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