50th anniversary of pivotal 1967 referendum

Professor George Williams AO spoke to SBS Radio News (26 May 2017) regarding the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum and what it really did for Indigenous people.

 "Many people have some myths and misconceptions about what this referendum actually did. It didn't give Aboriginal people citizenship. It didn't give them the vote. In fact, what it did do was change the Australian Constitution, which is the rulebook for the nation."

Professor Williams went on to say that the referendum did allow the introduction of new laws that benefitted Indigenous people, "That was something that Gough Whitlam took up with gusto in 1972. It's what led to laws around sacred sites, native title and the like. And so that referendum has been what enabled broad and important laws to be made for Aboriginal people nationally."

Listen to the full news story here.