Why did the 1967 Referendum and the Native Title Act have importance for the Aboriginal People?
“The referendum amended section 51 from the constitution and removed section 127 from the Constitution. -The first was a phrase in Section 51 (xxvi) which stated that the Federal Government had the power to make laws with respect to “the people of any race, other than the Aboriginal race in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws.” (This is known as the “race power.”) The referendum removed the phrase “other than the Aboriginal race in any State,” giving the Commonwealth the power to make laws specifically in relation to Aboriginal people. -The second was Section 127, which said: “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 referendum deleted this section from the Constitution. The section related to calculating the population of the states and territories for the purpose of allocating seats in Parliament and per capita Commonwealth grants. The context
