Lexi Webster
Australia's Aboriginal population has been historically excluded from the national population count. In 1967, Australians voted to amend the Constitution, removing Section 127 which excluded aboriginal natives from the overall population count. Despite this, Aboriginal Australians continue to face challenges in being accurately counted in the census due to various factors such as remote living locations and undercounting. In the 2021 census, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprised 3.8% of Australia's population, with a median age of 24 years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Australia's population that is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | 3.8% (approximately 984,000 people) |
| First year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were included in the Australian Census | 1971 |
| Year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were first counted as part of Australia's population | 1967 |
| Median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | 24 years |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population under 15 years old | 33.1% |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population over 65 years old | 5.4% |
| Sex ratio of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | 101 males for every 100 females |
| State with the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | New South Wales (339,700 people) |
| State with the second-largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | Queensland (273,100 people) |
| State with the third-largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | Western Australia (120,000 people) |
| State with the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to total population size | Northern Territory (30.8%) |
| State with the lowest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to total population size | Victoria (1.2%) |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population living in Major Cities | 40.8% (401,700 people) |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population living in Inner Regional Australia | 24.8% (244,000 people) |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population living in Outer Regional Australia | 19.0% (187,200 people) |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population living in Remote Australia | 6.0% (58,700 people) |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population living in Very Remote Australia | 9.4% (92,100 people) |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Aboriginal Australians were excluded from the Australian Constitution in 1901
- The 1967 referendum removed section 127, which excluded Aboriginal Australians from the national population count
- The 1971 census was the first time Aboriginal Australians were included in the population count
- Aboriginal Australians make up 3.8% of the country's population
- Aboriginal Australians face significant health and economic disparities compared to the wider Australian community
Aboriginal Australians were excluded from the Australian Constitution in 1901
The Australian Constitution, established in 1901, excluded Aboriginal Australians from being counted in the population of Australia. This exclusion was outlined in Section 127 of the Constitution, which stated that "in reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted". The reasoning behind this exclusion was to prevent Western Australia and Queensland from using their large Aboriginal populations to gain additional seats in the federal Parliament and a higher share of federal tax revenue. This reflected the discriminatory view that Aboriginal people should not be considered in determining electoral representation and should not receive a share of government income.
The exclusion of Aboriginal Australians from the population count in the Constitution was not an isolated incident but rather a part of a broader pattern of discrimination and marginalization that they have faced in Australian society. For example, between approximately 1871 and 1969, the "Stolen Generations" era occurred, during which Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families by Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions with the explicit goal of eradicating Aboriginal culture. Furthermore, Aboriginal people were not granted the right to vote in elections until 1962, and they were only recognized as the First Peoples of Australia in 1992 through a high court decision that overturned the concept of "terra nullius" (the notion that Australia was unoccupied prior to colonization).
The Constitution also included Section 51 (xxvi), which granted the Commonwealth the power to make laws regarding "people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any state, for whom it was deemed necessary to make special laws". This section further marginalized Aboriginal Australians by specifically excluding them from the law-making process and subjecting them to "special laws" that did not apply to other racial groups. This section was only amended in 1967 through a referendum, which removed the phrase "other than the aboriginal race in any state" and extended the race power to include Aboriginal people.
Despite these amendments, the Australian Constitution still falls short of fully recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 1967 referendum did not introduce any wording that explicitly acknowledged or recognized these Indigenous groups. While the removal of Section 127 allowed Aboriginal people to be counted in the national population, it did not address other forms of discrimination or acknowledge their status as the original custodians of the land. Today, Australia's First Nations peoples continue to be excluded from the nation's founding document, and efforts to include them in the Constitution, such as those initiated by the Labor Party in 2010 and 2022, have not yet come to fruition.
In the 2021 census, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprised 3.8% of Australia's population. However, it is important to note that the counting of Indigenous Australians in censuses has been inconsistent and approximate. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) employs a set method to estimate total numbers due to various difficulties that lead to undercounting. The median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 24 years, and they have a younger age structure compared to the non-Indigenous population, with larger proportions of young people and smaller proportions of older people.
Australian Government Bonds: Risk-Free or Risky Business?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$39.27 $56.72
The 1967 referendum removed section 127, which excluded Aboriginal Australians from the national population count
The 1967 referendum in Australia was a landmark moment in the country's history, particularly concerning the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. One of the key outcomes of this referendum was the removal of Section 127 of the Constitution, which had excluded "aboriginal natives" from being counted in the national population statistics.
Section 127, titled "Aborigines not to be counted in reckoning population," stated that "in reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted." This meant that Aboriginal Australians were not considered part of the Australian population for constitutional purposes. Their population was not included in calculating the number of seats assigned to each state or determining tax revenue.
The exclusion of Aboriginal Australians from the population count was based on a legal interpretation of who was considered an "aboriginal native." The Attorney-General advised that a person was an "aboriginal native" if they were a "full-blood aboriginal," and “full-bloods” were then subtracted from the official population figures. This interpretation further marginalized Aboriginal Australians and contributed to their treatment as second-class citizens.
The removal of Section 127 in 1967 was a significant step towards recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as equal citizens and acknowledging their place in the Australian population. The referendum question on this issue received overwhelming support, with 90.77% of Australians voting 'Yes' to amend the Constitution. This change allowed Aboriginal Australians to be counted in the national population statistics and was a victory for activists and campaigners who had worked tirelessly to bring about this change.
It is important to note that while the 1967 referendum addressed the exclusion of Aboriginal Australians from the population count, it did not grant them the right to vote. Aboriginal people could vote at the state level before Federation in 1901, except in Queensland and Western Australia, which expressly prevented them from voting. The right to vote for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was granted in 1962 with the amendment of the electoral act.
Exploring the Vast Australian Outback's Breadth
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The 1971 census was the first time Aboriginal Australians were included in the population count
The 1971 census was the first time Aboriginal Australians were included in the national population count. This was a significant moment in the long struggle for First Nations recognition and rights. The inclusion of Aboriginal Australians in the census was the result of a referendum held in 1967, which voted to change the Constitution.
Prior to 1967, the census asked questions about race, including the percentage of Aboriginal blood, which was used to exclude Aboriginal people from the official population estimate. The 1967 referendum, which was carried by a 91% "Yes" vote, was called by Prime Minister Harold Holt's government to make two key changes to the wording of the Constitution: to recognise Aboriginal people in Australia and to include them in the population count.
Following the referendum, the Council for Aboriginal Affairs was established to consider the next steps for including Aboriginal Australians in the national population count. A key question was how to define First Nations peoples. The council decided that people of mixed ancestry should have the freedom to choose which race was most important to them. This definition was endorsed by the Cabinet in 1978.
The 1971 census asked each person to identify only the race that was most important to them. The census recorded 115,953 Aboriginal people, or 0.9% of the population. By 2011, this had grown to 548,126, or 2.5% of the total population. In the 2016 census, about 650,000 Australians identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. However, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that nearly 800,000 people, or 3.3% of the population, identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Botanical Diversity: Australia vs India
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Aboriginal Australians make up 3.8% of the country's population
New South Wales has the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (339,700 people), followed by Queensland (273,100) and Western Australia (120,000). These three states are home to almost three-quarters of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to its total population size (30.8%), while Victoria has the lowest (1.2%).
The median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 24 years, with a third (33.1%) under 15 years old and only 5.4% aged 65 and over. This is in contrast to the non-Indigenous population, which has a median age of 38 years, with 17.9% under 15 and 17.2% aged 65 and over.
The history of counting Aboriginal Australians in the national population is complex. From 1901 to 1967, Section 127 of the Constitution excluded "aboriginal natives" from being counted in the overall population statistics. In 1967, Australians voted to amend the Constitution and remove Section 127, leading to the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the 1971 Census.
Despite these changes, undercounting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in census data remains an issue. Factors such as living in remote areas and self-identification complexities contribute to the undercounting.
US-Australia Alliance: What's the Deal?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Aboriginal Australians face significant health and economic disparities compared to the wider Australian community
Aboriginal Australians, including Torres Strait Islander people, make up 3.8% of Australia's population, according to the 2021 census. They are a culturally, linguistically, and experientially diverse population, with most speaking English and living in cities today. However, they face significant health and economic disparities compared to the wider Australian community.
Health Disparities
Aboriginal Australians have worse health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. They have a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, with more than one in three Aboriginal men and women in Victoria diagnosed with these conditions, compared to about one in five non-Aboriginal Victorians. Prejudice and racism are key determinants of Aboriginal health in Australia and are linked to high levels of psychological distress. Furthermore, colonisation has created significant barriers to improving the health of Aboriginal Australians, impacting physician-patient interactions, health service delivery, and the political and economic landscape.
Additionally, Aboriginal Australians have lower life expectancies. They have a younger age structure than the non-Indigenous population, with larger proportions of young people and smaller proportions of older people. The median age of the Aboriginal population is 24.0 years, compared to 35.3 years for non-Indigenous Australians. People aged 65 and over comprise only 5.4% of the Aboriginal population, while this age group makes up 17.2% of the non-Indigenous population.
Economic Disparities
Aboriginal Australians are over-represented among the poor and disadvantaged. Despite Australia's economic growth and the profits of mining companies, Indigenous Australians remain overwhelmingly impoverished. They have historically faced exploitation and labour rights abuses, with many working for extremely low wages in the early 20th century.
Addressing Disparities
To address these disparities, research has focused on disadvantaged and marginalised groups, but this approach only offers a partial understanding of the underlying causes. Critical analysis is needed to address the power dynamics that perpetuate health and economic inequities. Standardised models of care should be examined for their effectiveness in reducing disparities, and health care providers should reflect on how normative White privilege can reproduce inequities in Indigenous health care.
Shipping Availability: Australia's Current Status
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Aboriginal Australians are counted in the population of Australia. In 1967, Australians voted to amend the Constitution to remove Section 127, which excluded "aboriginal natives" from being counted in the overall population. The 1971 Census of Population and Housing was the first time Aboriginal Australians were included in the population count.
According to the 2021 census, Aboriginal Australians comprise 3.8% of Australia's population. However, it is important to note that First Nations people are undercounted in census data, so this number may be higher.
In the 2016 census, about 650,000 Australians identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. However, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that when accounting for people who were missed or did not answer the question, almost 800,000 people, or 3.3% of the population, identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
New South Wales has the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 339,700 people as of 2021.
