Cocos (Keeling) Islands: 40th Anniversary of Self-Determination

Overview

On 6 April 1984 the permanent residents of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands voted in an historic referendum on self-determination. Observed by a mission from the United Nations, the referendum gave voters the options of integration with Australia, free association with Australia, or independence. Of the 261 registered voters, 229 or 88 per cent voted overwhelmingly for integration with Australia, which gave all island residents Australian citizenship including voting rights and social security entitlements.

Originally uninhabited, from 1857 to 1955 the islands were a British territory but remained under the control of the Clunies-Ross family, who since the 1820s had recruited Malay workers to the islands’ coconut palm industry, essentially as indentured labour. In 1955 the Cocos (Keeling) Islands became an external territory of Australia and in 1978 they were purchased from the Clunies-Ross family by the Australian government. Every year on 6 April, the 600 residents of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands celebrate Self-Determination Day with Cocos Scottish dancing and Jukong races.

Technical specifications