Teacher Resource

1967 Referendum

1. How long ago did Australians vote to change our country’s laws to recognise Indigenous Australians as citizens?

2. Describe what it was like in Australia in the 1960s.3. Did Aboriginal people have equal rights to other Australians in the

1960s? Explain.4. In what year were Indigenous Australians given the right to vote in

Federal Elections?5. To change the constitution there has to be a referendum. True or

false?6. What is a referendum? 7. In 1967 what percent of Australians voted ‘yes’ to change the

constitution?8. Discuss why it is important to remember Australia’s 1967 referendum.9. What does it mean to have equal rights? Explain your answer. 10. Name three things you learnt watching the BTN story.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers please note that this document contains photographs of deceased Indigenous peoples.

GlossaryDevelop a glossary of words and terms that relate to the story. Below are some words to get students started. Add words and meanings to the glossary as you come across unfamiliar words throughout your research. Consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate meanings.

Challenge students by asking them to use words from their class glossary to write their own sentences. Alternatively, students can make their own crossword puzzle, word find or fill in the gaps activity (see example below).

Fill in the gaps (words: REFERENDUM, RULES, MAJORITY, VOTE)The Constitution is a set of _____________ that explains how Australia is run. The Constitution can only be changed by ___________________. In Australia, a referendum is a ___________ used to approve a change to the Australian Constitution. A referendum is only passed if it is approved by a ______________________ of voters.

©ABC 2017

Citizenship Referendum Constitution

Rights Discrimination Census

Episode 13 23rd May 2017

Students will describe the process for constitutional change through a referendum. Students will look at the history of human rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Civics and Citizenship Year 5Present civics and citizenship ideas and viewpoints for a particular purpose using civics and citizenship terms and concepts (ACHCS033)

Civics and Citizenship Year 7The process for constitutional change through a referendum (ACHCK049)

History Year 6Experiences of Australian democracy and citizenship, including the status and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, migrants, women and children (ACHASSK135)

As a class discuss the BTN Referendum Anniversary story using the following questions as a guide. Record the main points of the discussion on a mind map with Referendum at the centre.

What is a referendum? Describe using your own words.

How does a referendum work?

Are referendums important? Why or why not?

Is it compulsory to vote in a referendum? Explain why?

Classroom referendumStudents will hold their own classroom referendum. Consider developing a campaign for the classroom referendum. Working in small groups develop speeches, posters and newspaper articles.

Steps to holding a classroom referendum:

©ABC 2017

Consider your classroom as a country. Give your country a name and describe how it is run. This is

your classroom’s constitution.

Review your classroom constitution; does it include equal rights for everyone in your class? How can you improve it? Suggest any changes

you would like to make to your classroom constitution. Remember any changes to your

classroom constitution need to be voted on in a referendum.

As a class write a referendum question. Explain arguments for and against the change you want

to make to your classroom constitution.

Hold a classroom vote asking to either approve or reject the suggested change to your classroom

constitution. Create a voting card and polling booth to lodge your votes.

Count the votes.

 Discussion questions

What was the reason for the change to the Australian Constitution in 1967? Discuss how you think being left out of the Constitution affected Aboriginal people? How would it make you feel if you were left out of your classroom constitution? Explain why the 1967 Referendum was important in Australia’s human rights history.

TimelineStudents will create a timeline of significant events that have contributed to equal rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Students can create their timeline in any way they choose. An interactive timeline creator is available at the Read Write Think website.

Watch these BTN’s stories to learn about events that have made a big difference to Indigenous rights.

BTN Wave Hill video BTN Freedom Ride video

Visual literacyBelow are two photographs depicting significant events in Australia’s history of Indigenous citizenship rights. Look at the images below (alternatively find your own images using the internet) and then respond to the following questions:

What is happening in the image? Where do you think it was taken? How do you think they might be feeling? Describe the mood of the photograph. Is there a message about democracy that comes across in the image? Explain. What question/s would you like to ask the people in the image? Create a caption for each image.

After you have responded to the above questions click on the link for each image to find out what is happening and compare to your responses.

©ABC 2017

Source – National Museum Australia (link to image) Source – National Museum Australia (link to image)

Parliamentary Education Office – Referendums and Plebisciteshttp://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/referendums-and-plebiscites.html

BTN - Constitutionhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3939299.htm

National Archives of Australia – 1967 Referendum Fact Sheethttp://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs150.aspx

Reconciliation Australia – The 1967 Referendumhttps://www.reconciliation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/NRW2014_27-May-Referendum_FactS.pdf

National Museum of Australia – The 1967 Referendum (Teacher resource)http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/116692/1967_referendum_colour.pdf

©ABC 2017