Thought our group might be interested in this documentary which has been directed by a colleague of mine here at Griffith University. It screens on ABC-TV on Tuesday, November 2 at 8.30pm. THE FAIR GO: Winning the 1967 Referendum SYNOPSIS In Australia in 1967 the oldest civilisation in the world were not counted as citizens in their own land. But the times were a-changin'. OUTLINE On May 27,1967 something unprecedented in Australian history happened. A referendum to change our constitution won a 90.77% 'Yes' vote. Now, as the Australian people prepare to face a referendum that will decide how we enter the new millennium, The Fair GO tells the inside story of another crucial moment of national decision. A moment when an overwhelming majority of Australians in all states voted to transfer power for indigenous people from the States to the Commonwealth and to count Indigenous Australians as fellow citizens. Until 1967, 24 proposals for constitutional change had been put to the electorate but only 4 had passed. Most of them, grudgingly. Since Federation in 1901, Section 127 of our Constitution had expressly denied the world's oldest civilisation the right to be counted in a national census in their own land. And Section 51(26) gave the State Governments not the Commonwealth the power to make laws concerning the aboriginal people. THE FAIR GO: Winning the 1967 Referendum is the story of the 10 year campaign by FCAATSI - the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders - whose eventual success meant that Australia and Australians would never be the same again. The characters are from all backgrounds, beliefs, political affiliations and parts of the country. They are drovers, teachers, nurses, dancers, judges, politicians, priests, wharfies, poets, footballers, boxers, civil servants and housewives. They came from the desert and the coast, the country and the city, united in their determination to use the law to change the law. They were convinced that it was necessary to change Sections of our Constitution which -in the words of Prime Minister Holt - were "completely out of harmony with our national attitudes and modern thinking". The Fair Go is a story of people making democracy work. DIRECTOR: > Pat Laughren > 1967 Referendum project > School of Film, Media and Cultural Studies > Faculty of Arts > Griffith University > Nathan > 4111 > >ph: 07 38755166 >fax: 07 38757730 >email:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > _____________________________________________ Dr Susan Forde Lecturer in Journalism School of Film, Media and Cultural Studies Griffith University QLD 4111 ph +61 7 3875 7229 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
