1967 referendum
This referendum was the result of a decade-long campaign which strived to recognise the Aboriginal people as full Australian citizens.
history
Section 51 and Section 127 of the Australian Constitution
On 27 May 1967 a referendum was held to alter the Australian constitution. It
concerned two sections in the constitution; Section 51, which stated that the
Aboriginal population was exempt from the federal government’s laws, and Section 127, which banned the Aboriginal people from being counted in a census. The referendum saw the highest ‘YES’ vote ever recorded in a Federal referendum, with 90.77% of Australians voting for the notions of counting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the national census and giving the Commonwealth the power to legislate them as a group.
This referendum was the result of a decade-long campaign which strived to
recognise the Aboriginal people as full Australian citizens. It played a crucial role in the rights and freedoms of the Aboriginal people and was a milestone which finally saw the people as part of the official Australian population. It is often referred to as the beginning of Australia’s reconciliation movement, which is why it has been given its own section in the museum.
The key individuals involved include the past Indigenous Australians who were affected by the result of the 1967 referendum, the Australian governments, the Cabinet, Prime Minister Harold Holt and all eligible Australians who took part in the vote. There were also many important figures and leading activists leading up to the referendum who powered the campaign, including Jessie Street and Faith Bandler. Gordon Bryant, the Australian politician who organised the 1967 referendum, and Pearl Gibbs, another prominent female Indigenous rights activist, will also be featured.
Back when the Australian Constitution was written in 1900, white racial superiority heavily influenced Australia’s politics and resulted in open discrimination against the Indigenous. The success of the referendum however, made the government aware of the changing attitudes present in the white Australians towards the Indigenous population. The results of the referendum led to great changes; new laws were passed surrounding anti-discrimination, land rights, financial assistance and the preservation of the Aboriginal people’s cultural heritage. This referendum fuelled a society which accepted and improved the Indigenous people's lives.
Back when the Australian Constitution was written in 1900, white racial superiority heavily influenced Australia’s politics and resulted in open discrimination against the Indigenous. The success of the referendum however, made the government aware of the changing attitudes present in the white Australians towards the Indigenous population. The results of the referendum led to great changes; new laws were passed surrounding anti-discrimination, land rights, financial assistance and the preservation of the Aboriginal people’s cultural heritage. This referendum fuelled a society which accepted and improved the Indigenous people's lives.
in the gallery
1967 Referendum Campaign
In the museum’s gallery “The 1967 Referendum”,
there will be a wide range of primary and secondary sources, presented in a more
contemporary and interactive fashion. The primary sources we will exhibit
include a copy of the 1967 referendum ballot paper, and the posters and
pamphlets which advertised voting choices during that time. Short biographies
and videos on Faith Bandler, Jessie Street, Pearl Gibbs and Gordon Bryant will
be featured in the display as well. The biographies will be based on who they
were and their individual roles.
there will be a wide range of primary and secondary sources, presented in a more
contemporary and interactive fashion. The primary sources we will exhibit
include a copy of the 1967 referendum ballot paper, and the posters and
pamphlets which advertised voting choices during that time. Short biographies
and videos on Faith Bandler, Jessie Street, Pearl Gibbs and Gordon Bryant will
be featured in the display as well. The biographies will be based on who they
were and their individual roles.
There will also be an excerpt from the book ‘The Time Was Ripe: A History of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship (1956-1969) edited by Faith Bandler and Len Fox which describes the social and political experiences during that time. Photographs, newspaper articles, transcripts of speeches and drafts of petitions surrounding the 1967 referendum will be displayed too, along with Section 51 and Section 127 of the Australian Constitution. Our secondary sources will be the overviews of the primary sources. The text on these descriptions will be minimal but precise and comprehensive; most of the area will comprise of auditory or visual displays.
On interactive touch screens, short videos on speeches given by important figures about the 1967 referendum, such as Faith Bandler’s ‘Faith, Hope and Reconciliation’ speech in 1999, will be shown. Also, an interactive questionnaire will serve as an activity used to teach the public more about the referendum and the important developments leading up to it. This questionnaire will require knowledge gained from the primary and secondary sources from around the section as well.
On interactive touch screens, short videos on speeches given by important figures about the 1967 referendum, such as Faith Bandler’s ‘Faith, Hope and Reconciliation’ speech in 1999, will be shown. Also, an interactive questionnaire will serve as an activity used to teach the public more about the referendum and the important developments leading up to it. This questionnaire will require knowledge gained from the primary and secondary sources from around the section as well.
what we aim to do
Elsey Station, Northern Territory, c1930s
Through the items displayed in ‘The 1967 Referendum’ gallery, the role of this event in the Indigenous Australians’ struggle will be conveyed appropriately to the public. With our layout and interactive methods, we will be able to create an educational and enjoyable experience where the public can fully understand the Aboriginal Australians’ fight for their citizenship rights, and the crucial part that the 1967 referendum played in it.