Australia is one of the largest countries on our planet, and it is the only one in the whole world that covers an entire continent.It is democratic and stable with a diverse culture enriched with a skilled workforce. It is well known for its strong economic performance. The smallest continent on earth, Australia, is located between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. The Capital city is Canberra which is in the southeast part. Australia has been referred to as “The Oldest Continent’, “The Last Frontier,” and “The Last Of Lands.“As this continent is isolated from other continents, the uniqueness of flora and fauna are beyond comparison.Australia is the 55th largest country globally in terms of population, and the Australian population is estimated to be 25.4 million. Interestingly the majority of Australian cities and farms are in the southwest and southeast parts since the climate is comfortable. Australia has a Federal Government, including a National Government for The Commonwealth and individual state governments. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is the Head of the Government, and the Head of State is British Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II, who Governor General David Hurley represents.Aboriginal Australians are the different indigenous people of the mainland of Australia and some islands except the Torres Strait Islands. The words indigenous Australians refer to aboriginal and Torres state islanders. It is identified that 3.3% of the total population of Australia are indigenous people with 91% Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander is 5%. The Torres Strait Islands are part of Queensland with differential government status, and the Torres Strait Islander is ethnically as well as culturally different.Charles Perkins, the first aboriginal graduate from an Australian institute in the University Of Sydney, led a Freedom Ride to raise awareness about the poor condition of Aboriginal education, housing, and health. Faith Bander (1965), an Australian Civil Rights Activist and leader of aboriginal Australians, quoted that in Australia’s history, people in Australia had to register their dogs and cattle but did not know how many aboriginal Australians were there.If the article has awakened your curiosity, please read 1968 facts and 1972 facts.Background & History The laws of Australia are set out by the Australian constitution. Referendums are the only method to alter the Australian constitution. The 1967 Referendum was initiated to change two sections of the Constitution which affected the aboriginal race and aboriginal affairs. The majority of Australians voted’ yes’ to the changes. This historical moment of granting citizenship rights, including voting rights, resulted in taking up aboriginal affairs by the Commonwealth.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people held the right to vote before the formation of the Federal Government in many Australian colonies before the 1967 Referendum. There were many peculiar disparities in determining the voting rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, which were decided by each colony. The notable fact is that aboriginal women of south Australia were given voting rights in 1894, many years before non-indigenous people could vote in Melbourne and Sydney. During that time Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the Australian Aborigines League, and The Aborigines Progressive Association were started to run campaigns for equality and land rights. The Holt Coalition Government submitted the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) Bill 1967 to the Australian Parliament in as a reply to a petition for a referendum on sections 51 and 127 of the Constitution. The 1967 Referendum had two questions. The first one referred to as ‘Nexus Question’ is to alter the number of members in the Senate and House of Representatives. The second query was to decide whether to remove two references in the Constitution of Australia, which discriminated against the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.Amendments To The ConstitutionOn 1 January 1901, the Australian Constitution started functioning, and the Commonwealth of Australia was established. It is a live document that shapes Australia and is notoriously known to be challenging to change. From 1901 onwards, 19 referendums were proposed to initiate constitutional change. Out of 44, only eight changes were agreed upon. Before a constitution alteration, the Federal Parliament should approve the changes.At the time of the formation of the Constitution in 1901, two parts referred to civil rights: Section 51 (xxvi), which vested the power on the Commonwealth to make laws for people belonging to any race other than aboriginal race, for whom it was necessary to form special laws. Section 127 states that the aboriginal natives shall not be counted while reckoning the population of the Commonwealth or state. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders raised their voice and revolted against the injustices. In the late ’50s public attention was focused on aboriginal rights following changes in equal rights and civil rights in several other countries. After effective and targeted protests and campaigns run by various organizations to advance indigenous people in 1967, on May 27th, Australians voted ‘Yes’ for constitutional change. Achieving the ‘Yes ‘was an enormous victory, fueling a change in the minds of the Australian majority.What does a referendum result in?There are two different referenda: the referendum measure and the referendum bill. The primary purpose of both referenda is to give the opportunity to voters to accept or reject laws by the legislature. In Australia, a referendum is put forth to approve changes in the Australian Constitution.Regarding the Referendum results, the Nexus Question did not pass as there were only 40.25% votes nationally. The results of the second question, which proposed ‘Constitution Alteration,’ was the highest ‘yes’ vote recorded ever.When the Australian Parliament Public policy passed the bill, it had only slight changes after the referendum, which led to disillusionment among the indigenous community and indigenous workers. The public misunderstood what they voted for. Most Australians had a misconception that the 1967 referendum would allow full citizenship rights for Australian voters among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. However, the 1967 Referendum raised the living standards among indigenous people, which included Torres Strait Islander communities and aboriginals, and led to more funding for states having indigenous populations. It was a crucial step forward in the battle by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for aboriginal rights. The referendum had a significant and lasting impact on policies related to aboriginal and Torres strait islander people. The Federal Government was forced to pass the (Northern Territory) Land Rights Act, which benefited the indigenous people.Voting Rights: AustraliaThe right to vote is often referred to as Suffrage (also known as Franchise) for Australia and its six component territories and states, including local councils.Following the British settlement in New South Wales in 1788, a legislative body, the New South Wales Legislative Council, was created in 1824. British Sovereignty was extended all over Australia in 1829, and those who were born in Australia were British citizens by birth. The first parliamentary elections took place in 1843. Voting rights were varied and restricted based on gender, age, and traditional property owners. A secret ballot paper was an innovative experiment in many colonies and Western Australia.In 1901, the colonies united and formed the Commonwealth of Australia after federal elections. South Australia (which includes Northern Territory) and Tasmania allowed indigenous Australians to vote. In contrast, Western Australia restricted indigenous people from voting. The right to vote for federal government elections was granted to all indigenous people who were in the armed forces. Following the civil rights movements in the United States and South Africa, many changes occurred in indigenous Australians’ rights, including removing restrictions on voting rights. In late ’60s, a movement for the indigenous land rights act was also started. As a result of the 1967 Referendum, some words in section 51 (xxxvi) and the whole of section 127 were deleted, which allowed the aboriginal and Torres strait islander people to be included in the census as human beings. Another notable alteration was giving power to the Parliament House to make laws concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Right To Recall: AustraliaA recall election (known as recall referendum, recall petition, or representative recall) is a procedure to take away an elected official from office before the end of his term.The recall election is an essential democratic tool to remove the elected representatives from office who are seen to be inactive in a good government house. Through different processes, voters can demand changes in the law (an initiative), disapprove a law (referendum), or remove elected officials from office (recall). Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1967 referendum facts, then why not take a look at 1975 facts or 1979 facts?
Australia is one of the largest countries on our planet, and it is the only one in the whole world that covers an entire continent.
