Early voting has opened to determine who will be included in South Australia’s Voice to Parliament.
SA passed legislation to create Australia’s first Indigenous Voice advisory body last year.
A group of First Nations representatives will make up the body, and share concerns about matters that impact Indigenous communities with the State Government.
From today, enrolled First Nations voters can have their say on who they want these representatives to be. The results will be finalised after the election concludes on 16 March.
South Australia’s Voice to Parliament
First Nations voters will elect 46 members across six ‘Local Voices’ divided by region.
Elected Local Voices in each region will then choose two leaders. These 12 representatives will form the State First Nations Voice to Parliament.
The legislation for the Voice requires the bodies to be gender balanced.
State Voice
Local Voices will speak to their communities about matters impacting First Nations people. They will be tasked with representing these communities and sharing their concerns during meetings of the state Voice body.
Representatives in the state body will be entitled to address Parliament on issues that impact First Nations communities, on behalf of local communities.
The State Voice will also meet directly with senior SA Government members at least twice a year.
Powers
The Voice will be an advisory body — it won’t be able to veto a decision made by Parliament, or make direct decisions affecting the Parliament.
In some instances, Parliament may request the State Voice to report on the potential implications of tabled legislation. While this report may offer a recommended course of action, the Parliament will be free to decide on its own.
The State Voice will submit a report and make an address to Parliament every year, setting out its annual progress.
Early voting on South Australia’s Voice to Parliament
Early voting begins today and continues until next Friday (15 March). Applications for a postal vote will close on Friday.
The election will formally take place on Saturday 16 March. Town halls, community centres and schools will be among the polling centres where votes will be cast.
Future Voice elections will coincide with state parliament elections, which take place every four years. That means the next election will be in 2026.
Opposition
The Voice was opposed by the Liberal Opposition last year.
Leader David Speirs said it had “a number of flaws” and wouldn’t create a “lasting legacy on the ground” to help First Nations people.
However, he hoped “at the end of the day” that it would succeed, and meaningfully support First Nations people in South Australia.
