1.0Crikeyhttps://www.crikey.com.auGreg Barnshttps://www.crikey.com.au/author/gregbarns/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content"><a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/08/08/broughs-laws-a-downside-of-the-1967-referendum/">Brough’s laws: a downside of the 1967 referendum</a></blockquote> <script type='text/javascript'> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- !function(d,l){"use strict";var e=!1,o=!1;if(l.querySelector)if(d.addEventListener)e=!0;if(d.wp=d.wp||{},!d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage)if(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(t)if(t.secret||t.message||t.value)if(!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){var r,a,i,s,n,o=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]');for(r=0;r<c.length;r++)c[r].style.display="none";for(r=0;r<o.length;r++)if(a=o[r],e.source===a.contentWindow){if(a.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(i=parseInt(t.value,10)))i=1e3;else if(~~i<200)i=200;a.height=i}if("link"===t.message)if(s=l.createElement("a"),n=l.createElement("a"),s.href=a.getAttribute("src"),n.href=t.value,n.host===s.host)if(l.activeElement===a)d.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),d.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(!o){o=!0;var e,t,r,a,i=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),s=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),n=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content");for(t=0;t<n.length;t++){if(!(r=n[t]).getAttribute("data-secret"))a=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),r.src+="#?secret="+a,r.setAttribute("data-secret",a);if(i||s)(e=r.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),r.parentNode.replaceChild(e,r)}}}}(window,document); //--><!]]> </script><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/08/08/broughs-laws-a-downside-of-the-1967-referendum/embed/" width="600" height="338" title="“Brough’s laws: a downside of the 1967 referendum” — Crikey" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe>When, in 1967, Harold Holt’s government put to the Australian people a proposal to amend section 51 (xxvi) of the Constitution so that the Commonwealth could make special laws with respect to Aboriginal people, the maverick Liberal MP Billy Wentworth warned that this could mean that in the future, a government could not only make laws to benefit Indigenous Australia, but also to disadvantage it. He was ignored.