1967 Vacuum: Changing The Constitution

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A referendum is a nationwide vote to change the constitution. The 1967 referendum was held because the Australian public became increasingly aware of the discrimination shown towards the Indigenous Australians. The referendum was held to remove the discriminatory section towards Aborigines in the constitution. The result of this referendum was that 90.77% of Australians voted in favour of this amendment. This change to the constitution allowed two things: indigenous people to be counted in the census and empowered federal government to legislate for Aboriginal people in the states and share responsibility for Aboriginal affairs.

As a result of the 1967 referendum, major legislative changes have improved Indigenous Australians rights. These include: the Racial Discrimination Act (1975), the decision in Mabo v Queensland …show more content…
The Racial Discrimination Act (1975) made it unlawful for a person to perform an act based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. The Discrimination Act helped the main stakeholders (the Indigenous Population) by eliminating all forms of racial discrimination in employment, housing, provision of goods and services and having access to public facilities. This Act allowed equality in political, economic, social and cultural facets of life. Equality was also demonstrated through the High Court’s decision in the Mabo v Queensland case. This landmark case was to determine whether native title exists over particular lands, in this case in the Torres Strait Islands. The High Court ruled that the doctrine of Terra Nullius was flawed and did not extinguish the ownership of the land by the Murri Islanders. This case sets a precedent for other claims of Native Title and is now
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