1967 Essay

The 1967 referendum that was called upon by the Holt government on the 27th of May 1967 (Wikipedia, 2015), is controversially the most significant turning point for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders alike in regards to civil and electoral rights. It was a decade’s effort (National Museum Australia, 2014) to successfully conduct the campaign and achieve the extremely high “yes” vote the FCAATSI and thousands of other activists were hoping for. The referendum that succeeded was not the first to appear before the public however it was the only one for the indigenous that provided a positive impact for many. Previous to this referendum, the Australian constitution controlled their rights of voting, marriage, moving, owning property and legally

The first act established was a council for the affairs; a minister from all states and territories who were bought together to discuss issues related to these people and recommend actions to be taken by the government (Reconciliation of Australia, 2015). In the five years following the referendum (Red Apple Education Ltd, 2015), many laws were subject to change such as the discriminatory clauses being removed from the Commonwealth laws as well as by the end of 1967, all states except Western Australia and Queensland no longer lived by civil rights that had previously been adjusted negatively by state laws. Not only this but the definition of an Aboriginal had changed to a more acceptable version and laws were passed in relation to land rights, anti-discrimination, financial assistance and what is deemed most important by many, preserving the cultural heritage of the Aboriginals (Red Apple Education Ltd, 2015). The massive yes vote signified community acceptance for many of the Indigenous people and aided in the loss of their inferiority complex, as stated by an FCAATSI committee member (National Museum Australia,