Aboriginal people have fought and continue to fight hard for rights. At different times in Australian history these rights were withheld from Aboriginal people by Federal, State and local government authorities.
Aboriginal organisations and individuals carried on the struggle for rights over many decades. Using a range of strategies, they drew public attention to their grievances and often gained access to politicians at the highest level. Aboriginal leaders wrote letters to members of parliament, they sent petitions, they held demonstrations and formed political organisations to agitate for reform.
Pre 1900
Between 1856 and 1900 all Australian colonies had given Aboriginal men the right to vote. However, in Western Australia and Queensland being a property owner was a pre-condition of being able to vote. At the time, this would have applied to few, if any, Aboriginal men.
In 1894, South Australia was the only colony to give the vote to women, including Aboriginal women. Despite this, the right to vote was often very difficult to exercise due to restrictive conditions on voter registration.
1902 - The Commonwealth Electoral Act
In 1902 the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1902 was passed. The Act outlined who could vote in Federal elections and Section 4 of the Act stated:
No Aboriginal native of Australia, Africa or the Islands of the Pacific except New Zealand shall be entitled to have his name placed on an Electoral Roll unless so entitled under section 41 of the Constitution.
The Act was interpreted very narrowly with reference to Aboriginal people, so that only those Aboriginal people whose names were already on the electoral roll for their State elections would be able to vote in the Commonwealth elections. This right would die with them, because their children's names could not be added to the roll. In addition to this, if an Aboriginal person's name was removed from the State electoral roll (if they were serving a prison term or were dependent on welfare, for example), then they would also be struck from the Commonwealth electoral roll with no further opportunity to enrol.
1949: Voting rights granted to Aboriginal servicemen
The Australian Aborigines League (AAL), formed in 1932 by William Cooper, fought to end all discriminatory practices against Aboriginal people in "civic, political and economic" spheres and demanded full citizens "rights". The Australian Government agreed and in 1949 the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 was amended to give the Federal vote to Aboriginal people who were serving, or who had served, in the defence forces.
1962: Voting rights for all Aboriginal people
In 1962 the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 was again amended to give all Aboriginal people the right to vote in Commonwealth elections, although voting was not compulsory.
1983: Voting becomes compulsory
A further amendment to the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 was passed in 1983 which made voting compulsory for all enrolled Aboriginal people.
Today Aboriginal people have the same citizenship rights as other Australians. However, they are typically underrepresented when elections arise. Fewer Aboriginal people cast their vote on election day than are eligible and there are currently no Aboriginals in the Australian Parliament. In contrast, a number of Aboriginal people do currently represent electorates at State and Territorial level, and South Australia has had an Aboriginal Governor, Sir Douglas Nicholls (external link).
The future
It is compulsory for Australian citizens who are 18 years of age or older to be enrolled and vote. More importantly, no political process can be truly democratic without the direct input of all people. The VEC wants to empower all voters to cast their vote on election day. The VEC encourages Aboriginal Victorians to: Yarn up, be strong and vote.
The Australian Electoral Commission has also produced an Electoral Milestone/Timetable for Indigenous Australians. This timeline is available here (external link).
