The 1967 Referendum

Multiple Choice

On what date did the 1967 Australian referendum take place?

• July 1, 1967

• May 27, 1967

• June 12, 1967

• April 30, 1967

Multiple Choice

What is a referendum?

• A parliamentary vote on a specific law

• A direct vote by the electorate to decide on a political issue

• A decision made by the Supreme Court

• A vote to elect a new government

Multiple Choice

What was the main focus of the 1967 Australian referendum?

• To change the Prime Minister of Australia

• To improve the rights of Indigenous Australians

• To declare Australia as a republic

• To amend the Australian flag

Multiple Choice

What was the first proposal in the 1967 Australian referendum?

• To allow Indigenous Australians to vote

• To count Indigenous Australians in the national census

• To grant land rights to Indigenous Australians

• To change the Australian flag

Multiple Choice

What was the second proposal in the 1967 Australian referendum?

• To establish a new constitution

• To allow Indigenous Australians to vote

• To give the Australian Federal Parliament the power to make laws for Indigenous Australians

• To recognize Indigenous Australians as citizens

State Laws

Before 1967, stage governments made laws for Aboriginal people and the federal government had no power to make laws for the benefit of Aboriginal people.

Laws for Aboriginal people varied greatly from state to state and supporters of the referendum hoped that these laws would become uniform if the federal government had power to change them.

Multiple Select

Which states gave Aboriginal people fewest rights?

• Victoria

• QLD

• NSW

• WA

Multiple Choice

Which was the only state to give Aboriginal people freedom of movement?

• Victoria

• QLD

• NSW

• WA

Multiple Choice

The denial of the right to 'control own children' would have had numerous implications for Indigenous Australians. What is one potential consequence of this denial?

• Indigenous children in all states had the same cultural experiences due to consistent policies across Australia

• Indigenous families in New South Wales and Victoria were more likely to maintain their cultural traditions compared to other states.

• The federal government's control over Indigenous children was strengthened in all states, including New South Wales and Victoria.

• The ability to pass on cultural knowledge was reduced across all states due to federal intervention

Multiple Choice

Based on the table, which inference can be made about the impact of property ownership rights on the economic opportunities for Indigenous Australians?

• Indigenous Australians in New South Wales had the same economic opportunities as those in Queensland due to consistent property rights.

• Indigenous Australians in Victoria faced more economic challenges than those in South Australia due to the lack of property rights.

• Indigenous Australians in Western Australia had better economic stability than those in South Australia because of their property rights

• Indigenous Australians in South Australia had potentially more economic opportunities than those in Queensland due to their property rights.

Multiple Choice

What was one of the discriminatory treatments of Indigenous Australians before the 1967 referendum regarding land rights?

• Indigenous Australians had complete control over their land

• Land rights for Indigenous Australians were uniformly managed by the Federal Parliament

• Control over land rights for Indigenous Australians was fragmented and managed by individual state laws

• Indigenous Australians were granted land rights by international laws

Multiple Choice

What change occurred after the 1967 referendum in terms of land rights for Indigenous Australians?

• The Federal Parliament could create uniform laws, such as the Native Title Act

• Indigenous Australians lost all their land rights

• The state laws continued to manage land rights without change

• Land rights were no longer considered important

Multiple Choice

What were some of the issues faced by Indigenous Australians in terms of health and welfare before the 1967 referendum?

• They had better healthcare and education than the non-Indigenous population

• They faced neglected or inadequate services, resulting in poorer health outcomes compared to the non-Indigenous population

• They had an abundance of employment opportunities

• They were provided with high-standard housing

Multiple Choice

What did the bipartisan campaign for the 1967 Australian referendum involve?

• Only political parties

• Only Indigenous activists

• Political parties, churches, and Indigenous activists

• Only churches and public figures

The results

For the referendum to pass it was required that the question was supported by a majority of voters in a majority of states, in 1967 that meant about 2.5 million 'yes' votes in four states (the 'territories' were not eligible to vote, i.e. Northern Territory and ACT).

Multiple Choice

Which state had the highest proportion of 'yes' voters?

• New South Wales

• Victoria

• Tasmania

• Commonwealth

Jack Horner, member of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship, remembers the night the votes were counted: "On the night of 27 May 1967, Jean [his wife] and I were in the tally room at Circular Quay, in Sydney, and we couldn't believe it as the results were consecutively dropped onto the calculating machine. Those results exceeded our greatest expectations, and everyone's—it was the triumph of an appeal to the sense of justice."

Open Ended

How did many Aboriginal Australians react to the results?

Multiple Choice

The 1967 referendum gave Aboriginal people the right to vote.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What was the main outcome of the 1967 Australian referendum?

• Indigenous Australians were excluded from the census

• Indigenous Australians were included in the census and the federal government could make laws for their benefit

• The referendum led to immediate full equality for Indigenous Australians

• The referendum had no significant impact on legislation

Multiple Choice

What was the percentage of voters in favor of the 1967 Australian referendum?

• 75.55%

• 90.77%

• 80.33%

• 85.42%

Multiple Choice

According to the text, what is still needed after the 1967 Australian referendum according to many advocates?

• A new referendum

• Further reforms for full equality

• No further actions are necessary

• A reduction in public awareness campaigns