Summary
Printed booklet titled, 'Referendums to be held on Saturday, 27 May, 1967, on the proposed laws for the alteration of the Constitution entitled Constitution alteration (Parliament) 1967 and Constitution alteration (Aboriginals) 1967'. It was printed by the Commonwealth Government Printer on 6 April 1967.
The referendum asked two questions. The first was an attempt to alter the balance of numbers in the Senate and the House of Representatives which was defeated. The second was to determine whether two references in the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Aboriginal people should be removed, this was successful and saw the highest ever 'yes' vote in an Australian referendum.
The sections of the Constitution under scrutiny in question two were:
51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:-
(xxvi) The people of any race, other than the aboriginal people in any State, for whom it is necessary to make special laws.
127. In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives should not be counted.
The majority of parliamentarians supported the second proposed amendment, a NO case was never formulated for presentation as part of the referendum campaign.
Physical Description
Printed white paper booklet, stapled in the centre with 15 pages. The Australian coat of arms is at the top centre of the cover.
Significance
The significance of the booklet lies in its association with the referendum held on 27 May 1967 when 90.77% of Australian voters recorded the largest ever 'Yes' vote in a referendum to alter the Australian constitution which finally enabled Aboriginal people to be counted in the national census and to be subject to Commonwealth laws, rather than just state laws.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Author
Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 6 Apr 1967
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Printer
Mr Arthur Calwell, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 6 Apr 1967
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Authorised By
Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 6 Apr 1967
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Date of Event
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Inscriptions
Printed: Commonwealth of Australia/ Referendum (Constitution Alteration) Act 1906 - 1966/ Referendums to be held of Saturday, 27th May, 1967 on the Proposed Laws for the alteration of the Constitution entitled Constitution alteration (Parliament) 1967 and Constitution alteration (Aboriginals) 1967/ The Arguments FOR and AGAINST the proposed alterations together with a statement showing the proposed alterations/ In respect of each of the proposed laws, this pamphlet contains the ARGUMENT in FAVOUR of the Proposed Law authorised by a majority of the Members of the Parliament who voted for the Proposed Law and desire to forward such an argument; and/ In respect of the proposed law entitled Constitution Alsteration (Parliament) 1967, this pamphlet contains the ARGUMENT AGAINST the Proposed Law authorised by a majority of the Members of the Parliament who voted against the Proposed Law and desire to forward such an argument./Constitution Alteration (Parliament) 1967/ The Argument in fabour of the proposed law page 2/ The Argument against the proposed law page 6/ Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967/ The Argument in gavour of the proposed law page 11/ Statement showing the proposed alterations to the Constitution page 13/ Canberra, 6 April 1967/ F.L. Ley Chief Electoral Officer for the Commonwealth
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Classification
Politics & public protest, Indigenous rights, Promotional materials
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
153 mm (Width), 242 mm (Height)
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References
National Archives of Australia Fact Sheet 150 - 1967 Referendum [Link 1]
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Keywords
Aboriginal Issues, Government Policies, Governments, Indigenous Issues, Referendums