Which change did the 1967 referendum facilitate?

Which change did the 1967 referendum facilitate?

• A. The Commonwealth gained power to make laws about First Nations people
• B. The right to vote for all residents was granted
• C. Abolition of the monarchy
• D. State sovereignty was increased

Answer: (A)

The change being tested is that the referendum altered the Constitution to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to include them in the census. Before, Indigenous Australians were not counted in the census and the Commonwealth’s ability to legislate for them was limited, which kept Indigenous affairs largely under state control. By removing the census exclusion and broadening the power to include Aboriginal people, the referendum enabled the federal government to create nationwide laws and programs for First Nations peoples. This makes the option about the Commonwealth gaining power to make laws for First Nations people the best fit. It isn’t about universal voting rights, abolishing the monarchy, or increasing state sovereignty.

The change being tested is that the referendum altered the Constitution to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to include them in the census. Before, Indigenous Australians were not counted in the census and the Commonwealth’s ability to legislate for them was limited, which kept Indigenous affairs largely under state control. By removing the census exclusion and broadening the power to include Aboriginal people, the referendum enabled the federal government to create nationwide laws and programs for First Nations peoples. This makes the option about the Commonwealth gaining power to make laws for First Nations people the best fit. It isn’t about universal voting rights, abolishing the monarchy, or increasing state sovereignty.