Content area
Full Text
The 1967 referendum is shrouded in myth and symbolism. The symbolism has proved valuable, as the referendum result exposed overwhelming public support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
But the myths continue to be destructive and need to be removed. A decade or so ago, the prevalent myth was that the 1967 referendum gave Aboriginal people the right to vote and citizenship. While most now accept this was wrong, as such rights were already held by Aboriginal people, other myths have supplanted it.
The most common is that the 1967 referendum allowed Aboriginal people to be counted in the census for the first time due to the repeal of section 127 of the Constitution. It is exacerbated by the further myth that before 1967 Aboriginal people were treated as fauna under the flora and fauna act. No such act existed.
The source of this myth appears to be an aside made at a conference to the effect that...