Leslie Massey
The Aboriginal people of Australia were granted the right to vote in 1962, when the Menzies government amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. However, this did not make enrolment compulsory, and it was not until 1984 that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were made to enrol and vote in elections, finally achieving political equality with other Australians. The fight for Aboriginal voting rights was a long one, with laws specifically enacted to deny them the vote in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year Aboriginal people were given the right to vote in Australia | 1962 |
| Year Aboriginal people were treated like other voters and required to enrol and vote in elections | 1984 |
| Number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people denied the right to vote | 30,000 |
| Year Queensland gave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the right to vote in state elections | 1965 |
| Year Queensland gained self-government | 1859 |
| Year Queensland extended voting rights to include all British male subjects over the age of 21 | 1872 |
| Year Queensland passed an Act to extend voting rights to all Indigenous Australians | 1966 |
| Year of the Warburton Ranges controversy | 1957 |
| Year of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions | 1963 |
| Year of the Freedom Ride | 1965 |
| Year the Wave Hill walk-off began | 1966 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962
Prior to the Act, the right of Indigenous Australians to participate in federal elections was linked to state legislation. As a result, Indigenous people in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory were effectively denied the vote. The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1902, which established uniform national franchise criteria, upheld a compromise that only granted Indigenous Australians the right to vote if they had held that right prior to federation.
The push for Indigenous voting rights gained momentum after the Second World War. The service and sacrifices made by Indigenous service members during the World Wars highlighted the injustice of their disenfranchisement. In 1949, the Chifley Government amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to grant Aboriginal people who were enfranchised under state law or had served in the defence forces the right to vote in Commonwealth elections.
The campaign for Indigenous voting rights was led by organisations like the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines (FCAA) and other groups. In 1961, their advocacy led the Australian Government to establish a select committee to investigate Aboriginal voting rights. The committee's report estimated that approximately 30,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had been denied the vote due to discriminatory legislation in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
The Menzies Government's Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 implemented the committee's central recommendation to grant Indigenous Australians the right to vote in federal elections. However, it did not introduce compulsory enrolment for Indigenous voters, which remained an anomaly until the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act 1983. The Act was a significant reform, not only for enfranchising Indigenous Australians but also for pressuring holdout jurisdictions to grant voting rights to their Indigenous residents.
Motley Fool Australia: Worth the Investment?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The 1967 Referendum
The referendum sought to change two sections of the Constitution in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Firstly, it asked voters whether to give the Commonwealth Parliament the power to make special laws for Indigenous Australians. Secondly, it asked whether Indigenous Australians should be included in official population counts for constitutional purposes.
The referendum did not give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to vote. This right had been legislated for Commonwealth elections in 1962, with the last state to provide Indigenous enfranchisement being Queensland in 1965. However, it was not until 1984 that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were required to register on the electoral roll and were therefore politically equal to other Australians.
Coles: An Australian Institution's Founding and Legacy
You may want to see also
Explore related products
First Nations voting rights before 1901
The right to vote for First Nations people in Australia before 1901 varied across the different colonies. While First Nations men could vote in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, they were excluded from this right in Queensland and Western Australia.
In the 1850s, under the constitutions of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, First Nations men had the same right to vote as other male British subjects aged over 21. In 1856, South Australia introduced universal male suffrage for its lower house, followed by Victoria in 1857, New South Wales in 1858, Queensland in 1872, Western Australia in 1893 and Tasmania in 1900.
In 1885, the Queensland Elections Act removed the right to vote from any "aboriginal native of Australia". Western Australia's Constitution Act Amendment Act of 1893 also retained a property qualification for "Aboriginal natives of Australia, Asia or Africa" and people of mixed descent, effectively excluding them from voting.
In Tasmania, First Nations men were granted the right to vote in 1896. However, few Aboriginal people were aware of their voting rights, and regulatory barriers often prevented them from exercising this right. For example, between 1858 and 1926, New South Wales disqualified persons receiving aid from "any public charitable institution" from voting, and anyone living in Aboriginal reserves was considered to be receiving aid.
In the 1890s, some First Nations men who had achieved a certain level of education or had become doctors, lawyers or religious officials were automatically enfranchised, gaining the right to vote. However, they lost their First Nations status under the law and were pressured to assimilate into mainstream culture.
It is important to note that the situation for First Nations voting rights before 1901 in Australia was complex and varied across different colonies, with some experiencing exclusion and discrimination despite having legal voting rights.
Strictly Ballroom: Australian Identity Through Dance
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$23.7 $29.95
The 1983 Act and compulsory voting
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 gave all First Nations people the option to enrol and vote in federal elections, although enrolment was not compulsory. Shortly after this, Western Australia and the Northern Territory gave Aboriginal people the right to vote in state elections. Queensland passed an Act in 1965 which finally gave voting rights to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It was not until 1984 that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were politically equal to other Australians under the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act 1983. This Act made enrolling to vote at federal elections compulsory for all Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The 1983 Act differed from the 1962 Act in that it made enrolling to vote compulsory for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Under the 1962 Act, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had the option to enrol and vote in federal elections, but it was not compulsory. The 1983 Act also removed any remaining legal barriers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voting rights, ensuring that they were treated the same as other voters.
Compulsory voting in Australia has a long history, dating back to at least 1915 when it was introduced in Queensland. The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, under section 245(1), states: "It shall be the duty of every elector to vote at each election". This duty has been upheld by several legal decisions over the years. While there is some debate about the link between compulsory voting and informal voting, there is evidence of strong popular support for compulsory voting in Australia, with 74% of respondents in two separate election studies expressing their support.
Australian Wildlife's Fungi Feast
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The role of the FCAA
The Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (FCAA) was a political association set up by Indigenous activists including Joe McGinness, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Dulcie Flower, Doug Nicholls, Pearl Gibbs, Faith Bandler, and George Abdullah. The FCAA campaigned for Indigenous voting rights and other civil rights issues.
In 1961, the FCAA's campaigning, along with that of other groups, led the Australian government to set up a select committee to investigate Aboriginal voting rights. The committee interviewed 324 people, almost half of whom were First Nations people. The committee found that about 30,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had been denied the vote as a result of discriminatory legislation in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Queensland.
In response to the committee's findings, the government introduced a bill to "give to Aboriginal Natives of Australia the right to Enrol and to Vote as Electors of the Commonwealth". This resulted in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962, which gave all First Nations people the option to enrol and vote in federal elections. However, enrolment was not compulsory.
Following the 1962 Act, Western Australia and the Northern Territory gave Aboriginal people the right to vote in state elections. In 1965, Queensland passed an Act giving voting rights to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, it was not until 1984 that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were politically equal to other Australians under the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act 1983, which made enrolling to vote at federal elections compulsory for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Australian Lamb: Hormone-Free and Healthy
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Aboriginal people in Australia were given the right to vote in 1962.
The Act that gave Aboriginal people the right to vote was the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962.
The bill that gave Aboriginal people the right to enrol and vote was the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, amended by the Menzies government in 1962.
Aboriginal people gained political equality with other Australians in 1984, under the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act 1983.
