When was the right to vote in federal elections granted to Indigenous Australians?

• A. 1967
• B. 1962
• C. 1958
• D. 1971

Answer: (B)

The key idea is understanding how the federal vote was extended to Indigenous Australians through a change in law, not a constitutional referendum. In 1962, the Commonwealth Electoral Act extended the right to enrol and vote in federal elections to Indigenous Australians nationwide. This meant they could participate in federal elections for the first time under federal law. Before this, some Indigenous people could vote in certain states or under specific conditions, but federally they were largely excluded. The 1967 referendum is a separate constitutional change about counting Indigenous people in the census and giving the Commonwealth power to make laws for Indigenous Australians; it did not grant the federal vote. So the year the right was granted is 1962.