The 1967 Referendum

On 27 May 1967 an overwhelming majority of electors voted in a national referendum to amend clauses of the Australian Constitution concerning Aboriginal people. 27 May 2007 is the 40th anniversary of this landmark event. The referendum is commonly considered the turning point in Australian historical and cultural life. The historic moment when citizenship rights were granted – including the vote – and the Commonwealth finally assumed responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. This book explores the legal and political significance of the referendum and the long struggle by Australians for constitutional change.

176pp h240mm x w170mm x s15mm 420g b/w photos & illus

Contents: The Constitution and the Power of Race; The Commonwealth and Aboriginal Affairs; The Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement and Constitutional Change; The 1962-3 Petition Campaign; The Coalition Government and the Demand for a Referendum; The Campaign for the ‘Yes’ Vote; The Poll and its Consequences; Remembering and Forgetting the Referendum; Reconciliation and Constitutional Change; Race, Rights and the Constitution; Documents – Part I – Written Sources; Part II – Aboriginal Oral Sources; Part III – Contemporary Aboriginal Perspectives; Index.