Vote Yes for Aborigines

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While many people believe that the 1967 Referendum gave Aborigines the right to vote, in fact the Referendum removed two sections of the constitution that discriminated against Aborigines. With the highest YES vote in Australia's history, 90.77% of voters agreed that Aborigines be counted in the census and that the Commonwealth Government take charge of Aboriginal affairs, effectively acknowledging Aboriginal people as citizens within their own country. Aborigines had fought for citizenship rights for over a century but it was the coming together of the many Aboriginal associations and leagues in 1958 to form a national body that finally gave impetus to the struggle. The Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders or FCAATSI attracted both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal membership and support from across all sections of Australian society. For ten years they campaigned to convince the public and politicians of the need for Constitutional change. They capitalised on the global condemnation of Australia's treatment of its Indigenous people and the media's growing interest in Aboriginal issues. The "Freedom Rides" of 1965 and the Gurindji strike at Wave Hill in 1966 highlighted Aboriginal living and working conditions and helped advance the crusade to set things right for Indigenous Australians.