[2] Discovered in 1609 by William Keeling and uninhabited until 1826,[1] the Cocos Islands were administered by the United Kingdom between 1857 and 1955, when they were transferred from the Colony of Singapore to Australia,[3] and given the status of an external territory.

[5] In 1974, a United Nations (UN) mission to the islands drew attention to the territory's governance arrangements and raised concerns about the denial of basic freedoms to its residents.

[4] A mission from the UN observed the referendum, led by Abdul Koroma from Sierra Leone and also including representatives from Fiji, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.

[4] Their report stated that the referendum had been "conducted in strict accordance with the pertinent electoral ordinance, resulting in a free and fair vote.

"[1] Following the referendum, the Commonwealth Electoral Act was extended to cover all the islands, allowing Cocos residents to vote in the December 1984 Australian federal elections.