The significance of the following for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 1962 right to vote federally; 1967 Referendum; Reconciliation; Mabo decision; Bringing Them Home Report (the Stolen Generations); the Apology
Students:
outline the background, aims and significance of key developments in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' struggle for rights and freedoms
Chapter 4:6 Civil rights in Australia in the 1960s
Read the first paragraph at the top of page 379 and answer the following questions:
What voting rights did Aboriginal people have before 1962?
What change was made to Aboriginal voting rights in the 1962 Electoral Act?
Explain how this was an improvement of rights for Aboriginal people.
1967 Referendum
The constitution is the set of rules that state what powers are held by the state and federal governments. The only way parts of the constitution can be changed is by holding a referendum (national vote). For a referendum to be successful, there has to be a majority of all votes in favour of change and also a majority in a majority of states.
When the Australian constitution came into effect in 1901 there were only two references to Aboriginal people: Section 51 and Section 127.
Read Source 2 on page 378 which shows the two sections of the constitution that referred to aboriginal people.
Section 51 meant that the commonwealth government could not make any laws that related to aboriginal people. Only state governments could make these laws. Some state governments made law that were discriminatory against aboriginal people, especially relating to segregation and ‘protection’. Section 127 meant that aboriginal people were not to be counted in the census.
The aim of the referendum was to delete the words in bold in Source 2 so that:
the federal government could make laws which would override discriminatory state laws; and
aboriginal people would be counted in the census.
Source 3 (page 379) gives examples of how some states discriminated against aboriginal people.
Read the source and answer the three questions which follow it.
Study Source 4 (page 380) and answer the three source questions next to it.
Read the rest of the chapter.
Answer questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the Activities box on page 382.
The significance of the following for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 1962 right to vote federally; 1967 Referendum; Reconciliation; Mabo decision; Bringing Them Home Report (the Stolen Generations); the Apology
Students:
Chapter 4:6 Civil rights in Australia in the 1960s
Read the first paragraph at the top of page 379 and answer the following questions:
1967 Referendum
The constitution is the set of rules that state what powers are held by the state and federal governments. The only way parts of the constitution can be changed is by holding a referendum (national vote). For a referendum to be successful, there has to be a majority of all votes in favour of change and also a majority in a majority of states.
When the Australian constitution came into effect in 1901 there were only two references to Aboriginal people: Section 51 and Section 127.
Read Source 2 on page 378 which shows the two sections of the constitution that referred to aboriginal people.
Section 51 meant that the commonwealth government could not make any laws that related to aboriginal people. Only state governments could make these laws. Some state governments made law that were discriminatory against aboriginal people, especially relating to segregation and ‘protection’.
Section 127 meant that aboriginal people were not to be counted in the census.
The aim of the referendum was to delete the words in bold in Source 2 so that:
Source 3 (page 379) gives examples of how some states discriminated against aboriginal people.
Read the source and answer the three questions which follow it.
Study Source 4 (page 380) and answer the three source questions next to it.
Read the rest of the chapter.
Answer questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the Activities box on page 382.