The 1967 Referendum marked a momentous victory for the indigenous people of Australia and their bid for civil rights. This digital exhibition explores the causes and effects of the referendum. Images and documents in the causes gallery focus on the factors that led to the referendum whilst the effects gallery centres on its consequences. Causes The sources exhibited in the Causes gallery range from strategies, to key figures to provide a detailed picture of the factors that led to the 1967 Referendum. It was essential that Australians’ progressed in their perception of and attitudes towards Aboriginal Australians if the 1967 Referendum was going to receive the support it needed from the Australian Public. This attitude adjustment was evident …show more content…
Formed in 1957, the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders commenced their campaign with a series of petitions displayed in Source 4 that called for a referendum. This had the effect of not only mobilising support for a change to the constitution but also of informing the public of the issues facing Aborigines. Over the course of the campaign, more than 100,000 signatures were collected and presented to the Parliament in 94 separate petitions (NMA, n.d.). This was a key factor in changing politicians’ minds and the government’s stance (Koori Mail, 2007). A key factor of the support of the referendum by non-indigenous Australians was the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders ‘Yes’ campaign. After the Holt government announced on February 23 1967, a referendum to amend sections 51 and 127 of the constitution, the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders used pamphlets and posters to campaign for a Yes vote. The ‘Right Wrongs, Write Yes’ poster in particular was a key factor in its appeal to a sense of justice in white Australians to vote yes, specifically in its use of appealing indigenous children (NMA, …show more content…
An important example of this was Faith Bandler, a South Sea Islander who was the general secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and a prominent campaigner for the rights of Aboriginal Australians. This is evident in a newspaper article from The Sun which details Faith Bandler, a South Sea Islander, as a key orchestrator of the FCAA campaign for the 1967 Referendum (The Sun, 1967). One of Bandler’s many important contributions was her assistance in publicising the YES case for the 1967 referendum as her public exposure as an articulate and respectable spokesperson was very effective in providing a personable image which represented a positive face for the campaign, in contrast to previous racial stereotypes that imagined Aborigines as savage and uncivilized (Bandler, 1989). The support of the clergy was a notable contribution to the cause of the referendum to amend the constitution’s widespread support (Sydney Morning Herald, 1967). Gaining the public support of the churches was crucial during an era when many Australians were influenced by the views of the
Australians were worried, as they thought these individuals were inferior and are likely to dominate society. The bulletin magazine had a biased perspective towards others of coloured immigrants as it determined to remain culturally ‘British’. Knight explores the consequences of the White Australian Policy, and the authority that it carried as ‘an important symbol of both Australia’s relations with Asia and its own national identity’(pp.226). The intention was to exclude individuals
They were counted in the census and the right to vote was given to the Indigenous was given to them by the Commonwealth in 1962 and by all States in 1965. Queensland was the last state to grant Abroginial people these rights. Secondly, the Mabo Decision was important
Albanese’s speech was delivered at the Garma Festival in 2022. The Garma Festival is an event that offers a unique platform to make meaningful connections with indigenous Australians. Albanese chose to speak at this festival to express his confidence that a referendum on a Voice to Parliament would be successful and help create change for Indigenous Australians. He states that this is, ‘A straightforward proposition. A simple principle.
One of the most significant events in Aboriginal peoples struggle for rights in Australia was the Mabo decision in 1992. This event took away the myth of terra nullius from Australian law and would recognise rights that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the land and waters according to tradition. Thus, creating way for the legal recognition of native land titles (Loos & Mabo, 2013). This essay will explain the impact of the Mabo decision, what events led to this event and what impact this has on Australian people today.
The situation no longer directly affected the Non-Indigenous Australians, as Non-Indigenous Australians had thought that the process of reconciliation was complete, with the matters of the Indigenous Australians now handed over to the Australian Government. Over the course of the next 10 years, the nation became apathetic towards indigenous affairs, however public interest was revived in 1982 when Eddie Mabo, an Indigenous land rights activist and several others challenged action against the State of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia in the High Court over Indigenous land rights in the Murray Islands. This gained massive media coverage, as it was the first time that the issue of Indigenous land rights had been raised at a federal level. At this time, it was unexpected, as many, again, believed that the altering of the constitution had closed the seal on reconciliation. It was not a high priority for the Government who, at the time, was trying to meet the political demands driven by the public to fix the Australian economy, which whilst booming, was leaving thousands unemployed, with high-interest rates, a catalyst for impending disaster.
Reynolds exposes the persecution of Indigenous People, describing the entrenched belief in Aboriginal inferiority common in 70s North Queensland, recalling one school principal who said he ‘did not expect much from [Aboriginal children] because they had smaller brains’. The ‘confidence and complete certainty’ with which the comment was made conveys how deeply negative ideas about Aborigines had been ingrained. These attitudes resulted in an assumption of superiority by white citizens, who Reynolds writes expected ‘lowered eyes and a submissive downward tilt of the head’. Reynolds’ personal voice resonates with condemnation for the oppression faced by Aborigines, illustrating how his perspective has been shaped by his experience of race relations. By sharing this account, Reynolds raises questions about the historical origins of the racial tension he experienced.
Speeches made within the past are still relevant to today’s society as the issues they have faced are significant to the values of the present. The statement: "Any significant and valued speech is able to transcend its immediate context", is exemplified within Paul Keating 's Redfern Address (1992) and Noel Pearson 's An Australian History for Us All (1996). Within these speeches, the themes of taking responsibility for actions and the importance of reconciliation resonate as they have influenced change in present-day Australia through new laws and forming the basis of Australian society. Conducted in a predominantly Aboriginal community, the former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating addresses a controversial topic in celebration of
The 1967 Australian Referendum was an imperative event which was extremely significant to Australia and the nation’s outcome. It was an event which marked a big leap in embracing the previous inferior Indigenous Australians to be viewed at as more socially and legally accepted in the Australian society. The 1967 Referendum historically was, and still is a triumph in human spirit that continually inspires modern generations consisting of non-indigenous and indigenous individuals. The 1967 Referendum impacted Australia through various factors of the referendum, the significance it had and still has towards our nation and the change it inflicted on Australia.
Introduction Aboriginal Australian peoples have been placed in unfair situations that have resulted in disconnections from society due to bias in culture, racism and because of previous historical events such as colonisation that led to colonialism and horrible events such as The Stolen Generation. These events act like a scar to the Aboriginal Australian peoples and their culture, those previously mentioned historical events symbolises the cut, the immense pain that was caused in that moment is still a factor and the pain from it is still prevalent and is symbolised by the scar. The scar also represents the factors that still manage to affect the Aboriginal Australians today, such as racism and lack of quality and access to education, money and health care.. The Indigenous peoples are also affected by various other factors such as limited access to health care that may be of poor quality, such resources may also bring fear to the Indigenous peoples because practitioners are not always sensitive or respectful to
This issues paper will discuss the Northern Territory Intervention; how it has greatly affected Aboriginal peoples and communities; and how it is contrary to various international Human Rights standards and principles, as well as being discriminatory in nature. It is important to note the role and obligations of social workers in understanding the Government’s intention and policies, the impact of policies on peoples and communities and the consequences of significant policy change. It is a social workers’ obligation to aim for social justice, respect and equality in society including supporting issues that assist both individuals and communities, advocating for change where appropriate, and arguing against social disadvantage. There have
These aims were elaborated in the document, “The People’s Charter”. Many of the democratic ideas found in the People’s Charter are at the root of the contemporary Australian democratic system and were fundamental to the political movements and reforms the Eureka Stockade inspired. Having had former involvement in the Chartism movement of Britain, many immigrants to the Victorian goldfields were already familiar with this democratic ideology. With the growing opposition to the miners’ licence, shortly before the construction of the Eureka Stockade, 10,000 miners met to protest in support of these adopted Chartist principles and the abolition of the mining tax. This meeting led to the creation of the manifesto document, the “Ballarat Reform League Charter”.
The gender gaps among Aboriginals are present and more prominent when it comes to their support of particular political parties and colonialism seems to better explain such gaps. During their research they not only discover gender gaps among Aboriginal men and women but that there is a strikingly significant gap among Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals when it came to political behaviour. Background “Today the concept of gender gaps has become a staple in the literature and is important for understanding the political behaviour of women and men” (Harell, Panagos, 2010). In the past there has not been any other research that indicate gender gaps among Aboriginals or what they would look like if they did.
This article discusses the speech given by an Indigenous journalist, Stan Grant who participated in a debate where he spoke for the motion “Racism is destroying the Australian Dream’’. Hence, the main points of this article are mostly evidence given by Grant in his debate to support his idea that the Australian Dream is indeed rooted in racism. One of the main points is that the indigenous Australians are often excluded and disregarded as non-Australians simply due to their race and skin colour. Grant pointed out the incident where AFL player Adam Goodes was publicly jeered and told that he did not belong to his country as he was not an Australian despite the fact that Australia indeed is the land of his ancestors.
In Ben Robert-Smith’s opinion piece published in the Herald Sun on the 16th of January, 2017 “We Are One but We Are Many”, Robert- Smith addresses he Addresses the Australian public with the argument that is changing the date of Australia day from January 26th. He argues that the date should remain the same but should be undertaken in a manner that is “inclusive and respectful” of other Australian’s interpretation of the day. Comparatively, in Kevin V. Russell’s Letter to the Editor he presents the argument from an alternate perspective.
The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey is centred around a young man named Charlie Bucktin living in the little Australian town of Corrigan in the late 1960 's. Charlie is presented with the issues of racial prejudice, shamefulness, and moral dishonesty. He is tested to address the idealism of right from wrong and acknowledges that the law doesn 't generally maintain equity. The thoughts are depicted through Silvey 's utilization of story traditions which are to either challenge or reinforce our values, states of mind and convictions on the issues brought before us. The 1960 's was an extremely dull period for numerous individuals whose race was recognizably unique - different to that of the “white” population.