Introduction:
Before 1967 (50 years ago), Aboriginals weren’t treated as they should be. Aboriginals were considered Animals or plants under the Flora and Fauna act. Some 50,000 years ago Aboriginals found Australia and the land is therefore rightfully theirs. But as soon as Europeans arrived in Australia (or New Holland as it was called when the Europeans named it) Aboriginals were slaughtered and killed if they went anywhere near their belongings. The Europeans thought they were animals, and ever since then they have been considered animals…That was until 1967, the Referendum of 1967 to be exact. All people of “white” backgrounds could vote simply “Yes” or “No” to allow give Aboriginals Australian Citizenship and include them in the Census
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The 1967 Referendum occurred on the 27th of May that year. Australians were allowed to vote in favour to change the Australian Constitution. This was to increase the amount of services available to Aboriginal people. White Australians could vote to give Aboriginals Australian Citizenship, and include them in the Census. The changes focused on two sections of the constitution, which both discriminated against Aboriginals.
Bibliography:https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Flagpost/2017/may/the_1967_referendum
What did the Australian Constitution say about Aborigines prior to the 1967 Referendum?
Due to the 1967 Referendum two amendments to the Australian Constitution were made. 90.77% of votes said yes to allow Aboriginal people to have the same rights as White people, whereas 9.23% did not. The first law that was changed was under section 51-xxvi was “The people of any race, other than the Aboriginal people in any state, for whom it is necessary to make special laws.” Law 127 was also changed “In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a state or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives should not be
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-They were not allowed to control their own children in SA, WA, NT and Queensland.
-They were only allowed to move freely in New South Wales
-Aboriginals could only own property freely in New South Wales and South Australia
- The only place they could receive award wages was in New South Wales
-Aboriginals were never allowed to drink alcohol in any state or territory under any circumstance.
Bibliography:https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/australian-1967-referendum
What were the Aboriginal Organisations that played key roles in the 1967 Referendum, and what was their Role?
FCAA: “The Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement” took over responsibility for keeping the Constitutional amendment politically alive. In 1965 the FCAA was renamed to the FCAATSI, which meant: “The Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
SAFA: “The Student Action for Aborigines” were a group of Aborigines from the University of Sydney who hired a bus, and went to some of the most racist towns located in New South Wales (NSW). They visited public Town Halls, Hotels and Swimming Pools that excluded Aboriginal People because of their race. They went on a freedom ride to protest against discrimination for Aboriginal people and their