>» wa For Pres: VOTING BY ABORIGINES Statement by the Minister for Territories, ‘Tne Hon. Paul Hasluck, i.P. "Figures for the recent elections in the Wort Territory indicate that the aborigines used their newly- won votes ag carefully as any other elector", the Minister for Territories, Mr. Hasluck, said in Canberra today. Since 1953 many hundreds of persons of aboriginal race, some part-coloured and cone full blood, have been entitled to vote in the Territory, but, as the result of the recent decieion that all aborigines are entitled to enrol, more than 1,300 additional aborigines, all full- Ylood and mostly tribal or partly tribal, were added to the Northern Territory rolie and those people voted for the first time a fortnight ago, This election for the Northern ‘Territory Legislative Council was historic in that it was the first time that every adult British subject had the pight to vote. Figures available in those districts where the aboriginal vote was an appreciable element make it appear that those aborigines who exercised the right to enrol took a keen interest in the election and made positive efforts to ensure that they cast formal votes. For exemple out of 412 votes cast on the various missions and settlements in the Arnhem electorate there were only four informal votes; at Hooker Creek in the Elsey electors’ ‘there wes only one informal vote out of 104 votes cas and in the Stuart electorate out of 491 votes in three centres which have a predominant aboriginal population there were only 19 informal votes. "The aboriginal voters at their first try have made a better percentage of formal votes than is customary in the best suburbe of Australian cities," said the Minister."Me result ia the more remarkable because most of those who gained the vote were those who are usual, regarded as primitive, for in the Northern Territory most of the persona of the aboriginal race who had received a similar upbringing to other Australians have been exercising full citizenship rights and voting since 1953." ‘The election was preceded by an educational campaign conducted by electoral officers ani officers of the Northern Territory Welfare Branch to teach people how to enrol and how to vote. ‘his undoubtedly played a large part in the euccese of the reform. Film etrips, photographs and similar aids were used and schools were held at Darwin and Alice Springs for selected aborigiaes so that they could return to their people and help in their electoral education. CANBERRA, A.C.2. 19th December, 1962.