Aboriginal women and the vote

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the oldest continuous culture in the world. When the British arrived in Australia in 1788, they imposed their own system of citizenship, ignoring the existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of maintaining social order, language, culture, and deep ties to the land and water.

Suffrage for Aboriginal men came first

When the British colonies in Australia became self-governing, men over 21 were entitled to vote. Aboriginal men living in South Australia were granted the right to vote in 1856 along with non-Aboriginal men.

Suffrage for Aboriginal women

The right to vote was extended to South Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women in 1895, after the historic vote at the end of 1894.

Aboriginal women were often not informed of this right or supported to enrol to vote. In some cases, Aboriginal people were actively discouraged from enrolling or voting.

At the Ngarrindjeri mission at Raukkan (then known as Point McLeay), a number of Aboriginal women enrolled and voted in the 1896 election, even though they were actively discouraged by the white manager of the mission.

Voting rights removed from Aboriginal people

The 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act removed the right to vote in Federal elections from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, except those who were already enrolled for state elections. However, state laws often prevented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from enrolling.

The right to vote in federal elections was extended in 1949 to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had served in the armed forces, but many states still restricted voting rights in their own elections.

Voting rights restored

The right to vote in federal elections was reinstated for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in the 1962 Commonwealth Electoral Act, but it took until 1965 for all states to grant voting rights in state elections.

In 1984 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were finally treated like other voters and required to enrol and vote at federal elections. This had previously been optional.

It is important to recognise the pain, shame, and disrespect caused by removing voting rights from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These actions, along with ongoing racism and disempowerment, continue to affect communities today.

Sources

Electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians - Australian Electoral Commission

Aboriginal South Australians and Parliament - Parliament of South Australia

Indigenous Australians’ right to vote - National Museum Australia

South Australia's history of voting rights for Aboriginal Australians - ABC News

Australian Electoral Commission 2006, 'History of the Indigenous Vote' (PDF 2.2 MB), viewed on 16 December 2024

Reconciliation SA 2011, 'Citizenship: Let's Talk Recognition', viewed at http://www.reconciliationsa.org.au/assets/media/files/Education%20Packs/Citizenship_Lets_Talk_Recognition.pdf on 13 December 2018. Now removed from the website.