Vote Yes For Aborigines (ATOM Study Guide)

Vote Yes for Aborigines (Frances Peters-Little, 2007) is a documentary about the 1967 referendum and the fight for citizenship rights for Aboriginal people. It marks the fortieth anniversary of the occasion, celebrating its historical significance and contemporary relevance.

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, or stopped the Commonwealth Government helping, Aboriginal people.

With the highest YES vote in Australia's referendum history, 90.77% of voters agreed that all Aboriginal people must be counted in the census and that the Commonwealth Government have the power to take charge of Aboriginal affairs.

Vote Yes for Aborigines shows that this achievement did not occur in a vacuum. 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 (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 capitalized 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, the Gurindji strike at Wave Hill in 1966, and the revelations about the appalling conditions faced by Aboriginal people who had been removed from atomic testing areas in Maralinga and moved to Warburton Ranges, all highlighted Aboriginal living and working conditions and helped advance the crusade to set things right for Indigenous Australians.

Vote Yes for Aborigines revisits those involved with the 1967 referendum and the social attitudes and influences that led to the event, featuring former Prime Ministers, politicians, historians and campaigners.

More than just marking a time in history, Vote Yes for Aborigines questions the success of the referendum and addresses current debates about what is meant by Australian citizenship and values and how they relate, if at all, to Aboriginal history, identity, and culture.