jan 1, 1962 - Indigenous Australians granted the right to vote

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In the year of 1962, Indigenous Australians were granted the right to vote in federal elections like everyone else. However, it wasn't until 1984 that Indigenous Australians were treated the same as other voters.

Enrolment wasn't compulsory for Indigenous Australians, unlike other Australians, however, once they had enrolled it was compulsory. The House of Representatives Select Committee on Voting Rights of Aborigines travelled across the country and interviewed 324 witnesses. In its report, the committee estimated that 30,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had been denied the vote.

The government responded by introducing a bill to give to Aboriginal Natives of Australia the right to enrol and to vote as electors of the Commonwealth. A referendum was then held where 90% of Australians voted yes to Indigenous Australians receiving the vote, meaning that the government changed the constitution to allow this to be true.

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