The 1967 Referendum
Introduction
Victorian Essential Learning Standards
Teaching, learning and assessment activities
1: Rights for all Australians
2: What is a referendum?
3: The petitions
4: The Referendum campaign leaflets
5: Campaign songs and slogans
6: The Referendum results and aftermath
7: Assessment Task
Further Research Activities
Assessment
Unit resources
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The 1967 Referendum - Level 5 Sample Unit

Activity 7: Assessment Task

1. Select a task

Have students complete one of the following:

Task A
You are asked to make a speech and/or multimedia presentation for the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum.

or

Task B
You are asked to make a speech and/or multimedia presentation on the role of one or more key Indigenous leaders in the Referendum campaign (for example, Faith Bandler, Bill Onus, Doug Nicholls, Joe McGuinness, Kath Walker – later known as Oodgeroo Noonaccul).

Ask students to form groups based on their choice of topic.

For Task A, suggest that they brainstorm the main points they would wish to make about the Referendum. These points should enable them to start revision and research, so that all main points they wish to make are illustrated by historical sources.

For Task B, suggest that students clarify the questions they wish to answer about their chosen individual. For example:

While students could research in groups, their presentation should be individual or have clear individual components for assessment purposes.

Have all students complete a bibliography of sources used.

2. Research

Provide students with time and access to resources so they can research the 1967 Referendum further. Students should investigate, explain and illustrate their main points. Remind them about conventions relating to citing sources and completing a bibliography. Make sure that they use quotation marks where appropriate, and record all sources used.

Key online resources for investigations include:

Australian Biography
www.australianbiography.gov.au/
This includes interviews and other materials about Faith Bandler, HC ‘Nugget’ Coombs and Charles Perkins.

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition
www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm
This is useful for biographical material on participants in the campaign.

Australian Referendums 1906-1999 CD-ROM
http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/Australian_Referendums.htm
This CD-ROM is available free-of-charge from the Australian Electoral Commission.

Collaborating for Indigenous Rights: The 1967 Referendum
www.nma.gov.au/index.html
This National Museum of Australia publication includes excellent and up-to-date materials under the headings: ‘Earlier attempts’, ‘Australia in the 1950s’, ‘Early petitions’, ‘National petition campaign 1962-3’, ‘Parliament and Cabinet debates’, ‘FCAA’, ‘Cabinet decision’, ‘Campaigning’, ‘Victory aftermath’.

Indigenous Australians and the Vote
http://www.aec.gov.au/voting/indigenous_vote/aborigin.htm
This Australian Electoral Commission publication looks at the history of the Indigenous vote in Australia.

Film Australia Digital Learning
www.filmaust.com.au/learning/
This contains teaching and learning materials relating to Indigenous Australia, as well as an index of materials available online.

Time Frame: Citizens at Last
www.abc.net.au/time/episodes/ep5.htm
This website contains material and interviews from this 1997 ABC program.

3. Presentations

Presentations could be made to the class, another group of students, an assembly to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, a parent or a community group.

4. Reviews

Ask each student to write a brief review of their research task that comments on any difficulties encountered in the research, the actual preparation involved, and how they felt it went.


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