---
node: au_1967_referendum
type: event
slug: 1967_referendum
title: "1967 referendum"
lead: "The 1967 referendum that approved, by an overwhelming majority, constitutional changes to count Indigenous people in the census and let the federal government make laws for them."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: 1967_referendum.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Badge_vote_yes_for_aborigines_1967.jpg"
image_author: "Source: Museums VictoriaPhotographer: Jon Augier"
image_license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

## What happened

On 27 May 1967 voters were asked to delete and change two constitutional clauses: to remove the exclusion of Indigenous people from population counts and to let the federal parliament make laws for them.

## Background

About 90.8 per cent voted yes, the highest approval of any referendum in Australian history, the fruit of years of campaigning by Indigenous activists and their supporters.

## Consequences

The vote did not by itself grant rights all at once, but it was a powerful statement of equality and inclusion and a turning point for later Indigenous policy and rights movements.