Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were originally able to vote in some Australian colonies from the mid-19th century, often with the same rights as other male British subjects. However, the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 explicitly denied Aboriginal people the right to vote in federal elections unless they had already been enrolled to vote in state elections before 1901. Voting rights varied significantly by state and territory with many restrictions and exclusions imposed, especially in Queensland and Western Australia. A crucial federal change came in 1962 when the Commonwealth Electoral Act was amended to grant all Indigenous Australians the option to enrol and vote in federal elections, although enrolment was not compulsory. The final state to remove voting restrictions was Queensland in 1966, after which all Indigenous Australians had equal voting rights in state and federal elections. Full equality in enrollment and compulsory voting came with the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act in 1984, which required Indigenous Australians to enrol and vote just like other Australians. To summarize:

• Early voting rights varied by colony from mid-1800s.
• 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act denied federal voting rights unless already enrolled in states before 1901.
• 1962 amendment gave Indigenous Australians the federal right to enrol and vote (not compulsory).
• Queensland removed state voting restrictions in 1966, achieving full state-level enfranchisement.
• 1984 made enrolment and voting compulsory for Indigenous Australians as for others.

This means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians achieved effective universal voting rights federally in 1962 and in all states by 1966, with full compulsory enrollment only established in 1984.