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1967 Referendum Glossary

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1967 Referendum Glossary

Read the historical briefing, then complete the vocabulary and source-analysis activities. Use precise language: the referendum changed the Constitution, but it did not itself grant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to vote or create land rights.

Historical briefing

In the 1967 referendum, Australians voted on proposed changes to the Australian Constitution. One proposal changed section 51(xxvi), which concerns the Commonwealth Parliament’s power to make laws for people of any race. The change removed words that had prevented this power being used to make laws for Aboriginal people in the states. It did not require the Commonwealth to make any particular laws. The other proposal removed section 127. That section had said that Aboriginal people were not to be counted in reckoning the population for certain constitutional purposes. Its removal meant Aboriginal people could be included in official population counts. The referendum did not, by itself, give Aboriginal people the vote, end discrimination, or grant land rights. Voting rights differed across the states and territories, and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had already campaigned for change for decades. On 27 May 1967, the national Yes vote was 90.77 per cent, with a majority voting Yes in every state. The result became an important symbol of public support for change and a significant moment in the longer struggle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights. The Constitution is Australia’s fundamental legal document; changing it requires a referendum and approval under the constitutional rules.

A. Build the glossary

Match each term to its most accurate definition. Write the letter beside the term.

1.Which statement best describes the effect of removing section 127?

It meant Aboriginal people could be included in official population counts for relevant constitutional purposes.
It immediately gave every Aboriginal person the right to vote in every state.
It created a constitutional guarantee of land rights.
It required the Commonwealth to pass a particular law about Aboriginal people.

2.Complete the sentence using the briefing: The amendment to section 51(xxvi) removed a restriction, giving the Commonwealth Parliament power to make laws for Aboriginal people in the .

3.The 1967 referendum itself granted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to vote and created land rights.

TrueFalse

B. Check the details

Use evidence from the briefing. Keep your answers focused and historically accurate.

4.What percentage of the national vote was Yes, and what additional detail shows the result was geographically broad?

5.Explain one way removing section 51(xxvi)’s restriction changed the Commonwealth Parliament’s constitutional position. Do not claim that it forced Parliament to pass a law.

6.A campaign poster says: “The 1967 referendum gave Aboriginal people the vote.” Rewrite this as a historically accurate statement that distinguishes the referendum’s constitutional changes from voting rights.

7.A student says, “A referendum and a constitutional amendment are the same thing.” Explain the difference, then use both terms accurately to describe 1967.

8.Why can the 1967 referendum be described as significant while also recognising that it did not end inequality or settle every question of rights? Give two linked points.

9.Write a one-sentence glossary definition for “disenfranchisement” in your own words. Then explain why it does not describe the 1967 referendum’s constitutional changes.