The 1967 referendum, or, When the Aborigines didn't get the vote

by Bain Attwood

In Australia, on May 27, 1967, a remarkable event occurred. An overwhelming majority of electors voted in an Australian national referendum to amend clauses of the Australian Constitution concerning Aboriginal people. May 27, 2007 is the 40th anniversary of this landmark event. Nowadays, a younger generation of Australians is unaware of this historical achievement, while an older generation remains unclear about its significance. The referendum is commonly considered the turning point in Australian historical and cultural life. This historic moment is when citizenship rights were granted including the vote and the Commonwealth finally assumed responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. However, the outcomes for Indigenous Australians have not improved significantly. So what is the referendum's value now? This fully revised and updated second edition explores the legal and political significance of the referendum and the long struggle by Australians for constitutional change. The book tr

155 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Bain Attwood is a professor of history at Monash University. He is the author of Empire and the Making of Native Title: Sovereignty, Property and Indigenous People, which compares Britain’s colonies in Australia and New Zealand. He holds both New Zealand and Australian citizenship.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good reference book about a much misunderstood part of Australian history with lots of personal stories to complement the historical narrative. The vast majority of Australians still believe that the 1967 referendum was all about giving aborigines the right to vote but it's not true. They already had the right to vote. It was about counting aborigines in the census and giving the commonwealth government power to pass laws regarding the aboriginal race.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focused quite a lot on a few campaigners for the referendum. It does, however, provide an overview of the political context of the 67 referendum. It also points out the misconceptions about what constitutional changes were made.