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Two Way Governance: Presentation 7
The original 1901 Constitution didn’t
recognise Aboriginal people at all. All it
said was that Aboriginal people could
not be counted in the Census. This was
changed after a long campaign by
Aboriginal people and their supporters
in 1967.
The Constitution also says how it can
be changed. There have been 44 tries
to change the Constitution and only 8
have succeeded.
It takes a majority of votes in every
State and a majority nationally.
Northern Territory citizens only got the
power to vote in referendums in 1977.
Being counted in the Census meant Aboriginal people were
recognised as Australian citizens who were entitled to the same
benefits, rights and responsibilities as other Australian citizens.