When did Aboriginal people get the right to vote in Australia?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1962, when the Commonwealth Electoral Act was amended. Queensland was the last state to grant them the vote in state elections, in 1965.
Before 1962, voting rights for Aboriginal people varied by state. Some Aboriginal men had been able to vote in some colonies, such as South Australia and Victoria, in the 1800s.
However, the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 excluded most Aboriginal people from voting in federal elections unless they were already on a state roll.
Changes in the 1960s
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 gave all Aboriginal people the option to enroll and vote in federal elections. Unlike other Australians, enrollment was not compulsory for them at first.
Compulsory enrollment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was introduced in 1984, bringing them in line with other Australians.
The 1967 referendum, often mistakenly linked to voting rights, actually removed discriminatory references to Aboriginal people in the Constitution and allowed the federal government to make laws for them. Neville Bonner became the first Aboriginal member of federal parliament in 1971.