Anniversary of the 1962 Federal Voting Rights Reform

18 June

On 18 June 1962, the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 commenced. It extended the option to enrol and vote in federal elections to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who had previously been excluded. The anniversary recognises a major reform and the long advocacy behind it.

Why this calendar uses 18 June

The original Act records royal assent on 21 May 1962 and commencement on 18 June. This entry uses commencement: the date the reform began operating. It should not be confused with the date of the 1967 referendum.

The 1967 referendum concerned two constitutional provisions relating to Aboriginal people. It did not grant the federal vote. Keeping these milestones separate corrects a common misunderstanding without diminishing either event.

A complicated history of exclusion

Voting rights before 1962 were unequal and differed across jurisdictions and circumstances. Some First Nations people could vote before this reform, while many others were excluded. A statement that no Aboriginal person could vote until 1962 would therefore also be inaccurate.

The National Museum and AIATSIS explain that the reform made federal enrolment optional for First Nations people. Once enrolled, voting was compulsory. The law also prohibited encouraging Aboriginal people to enrol, a restriction that underlines how incomplete equality remained.

Reform did not end every inequality

Federal voting rights were distinct from state electoral rules. Queensland was the last state to remove its exclusion, in 1965. Equal compulsory federal enrolment arrangements came later, in 1984.

The anniversary is an opportunity to recognise change while considering how practical barriers can remain after a legal restriction is removed. Understanding electoral participation involves access to information, trust, registration arrangements and the experience of being heard.

Learning in schools and workplaces

Build a timeline that separates federal voting rights in 1962, state changes, the 1967 referendum and the later enrolment reform. Ask what each event changed and what it left unchanged. Use the original legislation alongside First Nations perspectives on political participation.

Avoid presenting rights as a gift detached from people’s campaigns. Identify the advocacy and organising that helped bring reform into public debate. For information about voting today, use current Australian Electoral Commission guidance rather than treating a historical Act as present-day instructions.

Sources and further reading

The sources below include official records and further historical context. Some materials contain historical language and names or images of people who have died.

Online sources

Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962, as made. Federal Register of Legislation. Original assent and commencement dates.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/C1962A00031/asmade

Indigenous Australians’ right to vote. National Museum of Australia. Historical exclusions, the 1962 reform and later changes.
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/indigenous-australians-right-to-vote

The right to vote. AIATSIS. Advocacy and the changing rules on participation.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/right-vote

Our related products and resources

We do not currently offer products or learning resources specifically for this anniversary. The reading links above are provided for background and further learning. Suitable items from our range will be added here as they become available.