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1967 Referendum Case Study

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1967 Referendum Case Study

Read the source notes and result data, then answer the questions. Use evidence from this sheet. The source notes are faithful summaries of arguments and constitutional changes, not verbatim quotations.

Sources and constitutional context

Source A — Government case for YES (summary): A YES vote would remove the constitutional exclusion of Aboriginal people from the Commonwealth’s race power. The Commonwealth Parliament would then be able to make laws for people of any race, including Aboriginal people. Supporters argued that this could enable national action to address disadvantage. Source B — What changed: The referendum altered section 51(xxvi), commonly called the race power, by removing the words that excluded Aboriginal people in any State. It also repealed section 127, which said Aboriginal natives would not be counted in reckoning the numbers of people of the Commonwealth or a State. Important qualification: Aboriginal people were counted in Australian censuses before 1967. Repealing section 127 removed a constitutional rule about population reckoning; it did not first make census counting possible. The referendum did not itself grant citizenship, voting rights, land rights or equal treatment.

YES votes

NO votes

YES majority

Historical significance of result

Investigate the case

Answer in complete sentences where appropriate. For the longer responses, support your reasoning with details from the sources or result data.

1.Name the two constitutional provisions changed in 1967 and state what happened to each.

2.According to Source A, what new constitutional capacity would a YES vote give the Commonwealth Parliament?

Power to make laws for people of any race, including Aboriginal people
Power to grant every Aboriginal person citizenship
Power to guarantee land rights across Australia
Power to give Aboriginal people the vote for the first time

3.A classmate says, “Before 1967, Aboriginal people were not counted in any Australian census.” Use the qualification in this case file to correct the statement precisely.

4.Mark each claim True or False, then correct any false claim. A. The referendum itself gave Aboriginal people the right to vote. B. Section 51(xxvi) was changed so the Commonwealth could make laws for people of any race. C. Repealing section 127 meant Aboriginal people had never previously been included in census counts.

TrueFalse

5.Using the result data, calculate the percentage-point difference between YES and NO votes. Show the subtraction.

6.What does a YES vote of 90.77% suggest about voter support for the proposed constitutional changes? Give one careful inference; do not claim that all voters had identical motives.

7.Source A presents the change as a way for the Commonwealth to take national action. Identify its perspective and one limitation of relying on this source alone to understand the referendum.

8.A historian describes the referendum as both a symbolic turning point and a limited practical change. Explain how both parts of that interpretation can be supported by the evidence on this sheet.

9.Write a short case-study conclusion answering: How significant was the 1967 Referendum? Include one constitutional fact, one piece of result evidence and one qualification about its limits.