3. The Significance of the right to vote and
Referendum
Learning Goal
◻Outline the background and aims of the right to vote federally and the
referendum
◻To state the significance of the right to vote federally and the referendum for the
civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Success Criteria
1. I can state the significance of the right to vote federally and the referendum for
the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
2. I can discuss the background and aims of referendum
4. Google Docs
◻ Create a Google Document called “The Significance of the
right to vote”
5. Starter
◻ Imagine you have been asked to create a model set of
citizenship rights for classroom students at RHAC.
◻ Come up with 4 rights
◻ In your Google Doc write down your 4 rights
◻ Be ready to share this on the discussion post
6. Recap: Aboriginal Australians’ rights by 1967
◻ Most aspects of Aboriginal
peoples’ lives were controlled
by State Governments and
their laws.
7. Copy this timeline into your doc
1948 Nationality and Citizenship Act established that all Australian born people are citizens of Australia rather
than British subjects.
1949 The right to vote in federal elections was extended to Indigenous people who had served in the armed
forces, or were enrolled to vote in state elections. Indigenous people in Queensland, Western Australia,
and the Northern Territory still could not vote in their own state/territory elections.
1957 Under the Northern Territory Welfare Ordinance, almost all Indigenous people in the Northern Territory
were declared to be "wards of the state" and denied the vote.
1962 Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that Indigenous Australians should have the right to enrol and vote
at federal elections, including Northern Territory elections, but enrolment was not compulsory. It was an
offence for anyone to use undue influence or bribery to induce Indigenous people to enrol or to refrain
from enrolling to vote. Western Australia extended the State vote to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people. Voter education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people began in the Northern Territory.
1,338 Indigenous Australians enrolled to vote in Northern Territory elections.
1965 Queensland allowed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to vote in State elections. Queensland
was the last State to grant this right.
9. Why a Referendum? Copy these notes
◻ Any change to the Constitution requires a referendum
◻ To get a referendum;
⬜ Parliament has to pass an Act to authorise a referendum
◻ For a change to the Constitution there needs to be double
majority in the referendum;
⬜ a majority of total voters in Australia voting in favour, and
⬜ voters in a majority of States (four out of six, ACT and NT residents
did not have a vote at this stage), voting in favour of the changes.
10. How would the electors now vote on it?
Creative task- design strategies
◻ Imagine that you have been put in charge of planning the referendum
campaign. Create a list of strategies that you would use to persuade voters
to support it. Remember that in 1967:
⬜ there were no digital phones
⬜ there were no personal computers and email
⬜ there was no internet
⬜ pamphlets had to be commercially printed or typed and reproduced on small hand printing machines
⬜ a minority of homes had TV, but nearly all had radios.
◻ List your 5 strategies. For example, would you have a slogan?
Which organisations would you approach for help? How do you
get your message around the whole nation?
11. The Campaign
◻ You will be given some material from the 1967
campaign. Review these in your table group thinking
through the following questions;
1. What is the source
2. Who is the group who made the source
3. Does the group support or oppose the changes to the
constitution
4. What are the main arguments or reasons stressed
14. REFLECTION:
The significance of the referendum?
Using the sources on your sheet answer the following questions;
◻ Explain why the referendum in 1967 was so significant for the
civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
15. Recap & exit tickets
Success Criteria
◻ Outline the background and aims of the right to vote federally and the
referendum
◻ To state the significance of the right to vote federally and the
referendum for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples.
Exit Ticket:
1. Write three reasons the referendum was significant
2. Write the names of two groups that supported the referendum
3. What percentage of Australians voted ‘yes’
