Faith Bandler

What she did

Helped lead the campaign for Australia's 1967 referendum through organising and advocacy for Aboriginal rights.

Impact and significance

The referendum changed constitutional population-counting provisions and extended Commonwealth legislative power concerning Aboriginal people. It did not grant citizenship. Her work also sought recognition for Australian South Sea Islanders.

This is Matria’s interpretation, not a quotation or personalised advice.

Works recorded in the archive

• Leadership of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) and the 'Yes' campaign for the 1967 referendum
• Wacvie (1977)
• Turning the Tide (1989)

Sources and access

• National Museum of Australia. First Nations peoples counted in Census.

  1967 referendum and section 127

• Lake, Marilyn. Faith: Faith Bandler, Gentle Activist. Allen and Unwin, 2002.Bibliographic reference. Consult the named edition through a library or publisher.

This label concerns the sources on this record. It does not validate every argument an author makes or establish what is true for a reader. Bibliographic coverage does not mean every passage or quotation has been verified. Specialist review remains pending.