First Nations Voice to Parliament – what every South Australian needs to know

SA has made history by establishing the country’s inaugural First Nations Voice to Parliament. But what is the Voice and what does it mean for our state?

WHAT IS A VOICE TO PARLIAMENT?

A STRUCTURAL reform to establish an “institutional relationship” between the Parliament, State Government and First Nations people to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are included in policy and decision making in South Australia. This is in the form of an advisory body.

WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS ODF THE VOICE?

In 2017, more than 250 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders released the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a petition for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

The Uluru Statement sets out three main elements – Voice. Treaty. Truth. – in a sequenced approach.

In presenting it, the group invited all Australians to walk together in a people’s movement for a better future. Initially rejected by then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, support for the Uluru Statement grew across the country until May 2022, when incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed it.

Following a commitment by the South Australian Government, Dale Agius was appointed the state’s first Commissioner for First Nations Voice in July last year. The First Nations Voice Bill 2023 was introduced to Parliament in February and passed on March 26 – making South Australia the first state in Australia to establish a First Nations Voice to Parliament.

WHY IS SA THE FIRST STATE TO IMPLEMENT IT?

In introducing the Bill to Parliament in February, Premier Peter Malinauskas said it would allow South Australia to take a significant step towards implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart. “Four years ago, I committed to deliver the Uluru Statement from the Heart,” he said.

“This is a nation-leading opportunity for South Australia to demonstrate to the rest of the country the benefits of giving our First Nations people greater say in the development of laws and policies that affect their lives.” The passing of the Bill marks the culmination of months of work, including two extensive rounds of engagement with First Nations communities and the broader community around the state led by the Commissioner for First Nations Voice Dale Agius.

WHAT IS ITS PRIMARY FUNCTION?

To provide advice directly to the South Australian Parliament and Government on matters that affect First Nations people and communities. The Voice will provide a means to help influence laws, policies and programs at the state’s highest level. The Voice will also work to create a direct path to Parliament centred on self-determination and empowerment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It will be able to collaborate with public sector agencies, local governments and other organisations. It will be able to address the Parliament on particular Bills of interest, make an annual address to Parliament, provide reports to Parliament on Indigenous matters and speak to ministers and chief executives about the operations, budgets and priorities of their departments in an annual engagement hearing.

This will be in a purely advisory capacity and will have no decision-making capabilities or voting rights on Parliament legislation.

WHY IS THE VOICE IMPORTANT?

Policy and legislation decisions affect every aspect of the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including housing, health, education, justice and community infrastructure.

Being able to influence those decisions at the highest level allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have their say and provide advice on the issues that affect them by informing the decisions being made about their communities.

WHO IS THE VOICE?

The Voice will consist of multiple people who reflect the cultural and geographic diversity of the First Nations community – men and women, Elders and young people. Those elected will be able to speak from a grassroots level for the issues concerning their community.

Regions will be established throughout the state, each with its own gender-diverse First Nations Voice. Members will be First Nations people elected at the same time as state elections by First Nations people.

There will be an initial election for Local Voice representatives in 2023. This combination of presiding members will make up the state’s First Nations Voice, which will present matters of importance to First Nations people to Parliament, the Government and other bodies.

WHERE SHOULD THE VOICE BE HEARD?

The State First Nations Voice will speak directly to the South Australian Parliament, to elected representatives responsible for passing legislation that has a direct impact on the lives of First Nations people.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUTH-TELLING

Arrin Hazelbane, general manager, Aboriginal practice and services with the Department of Human Services, said it was great to see the South Australian Government express its commitment to state-based implementation of the Uluru Statement. “A First Nations Voice to Parliament will ensure that all Aboriginal South Australians have genuine input in the laws and policies that affect our communities,” he said.

“A First Nations Voice in South Australia is the first important step, as we must begin a process of truth-telling that recognises all aspects of our past – the massacres and frontier wars, the injustices inflicted upon our communities and the entrenched racism that continues to impact our children and young people and communities. We must acknowledge what has happened in the past so we are able to take meaningful steps to make things right

Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson AC assents The First Nations Voice Bill 2023. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

A Voice that’s straight from the heart

SOUTH Australia’s Voice to Parliament, allowing First Nations people the chance to speak for themselves on matters directly impacting them, “just makes sense”, says leading Indigenous rights advocate Tanya Hosch.

The AFL’s general manager of inclusion and social policy and 2021 South Australian of the Year said the nation-leading legislation, which passed Parliament at a special sitting last Sunday, paved the way for improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The State advisory body, to be made up of elected First Nations representatives from six regional bodies throughout the state, will have the capacity to speak to Parliament on legislation, and address State Cabinet and heads of government departments.

“If you look at Indigenous governance matters inside and outside Australia, that concept of having a say over matters that affect you demonstrates the possibilities for much better social and economic outcomes on all of the indicators you would care to measure,” Hosch said.

“The research is pretty clear that, when you are reaping the consequences of decisions you make, you make better decisions. A Voice to Parliament is a wonderful opportunity for decision-makers to make sure they are understanding first-hand and hearing directly from First Nations people in South Australia about what they believe is going to work best for them.

“And hopefully we’ll see advances in these entrenched problems that Aboriginal people have been living with for generations.”

A member of the Australian Government’s Referendum Engagement Group, Hosch said South Australia’s Voice to Parliament provided a tremendous opportunity for the state’s First Nations communities.

“The opportunity it provides future generations is important because it creates a pathway to a relationship with our State Parliament that hasn’t always been there,” she said. “I believe it will take us as a state closer to having stronger relationships between Aboriginal communities and other South Australians.”

First Nations Voice Commissioner Dale Agius, who was appointed to the role in July last year, said the “bottom-up approach” to establishing the Voice was important.

“It’s not a government or bureaucracy or NGO sector deciding what’s best for Aboriginal communities – it’s the community deciding on what’s best for them,” Agius, pictured, said. “From all our social indicators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are falling behind.

“Our communities have experienced a serious sense of disengagement, isolation, exclusion, disempowerment, injustices ... a sense of feeling further isolated from the everyday Australian.”

However, Agius said there was a “strong sense of optimism and excitement” from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities regarding the potential impact of the Voice.

“There’s a real sense that something different could happen in the way we communicate with Parliament and to the Government in a positive way to change things,” he said.

“There is hope that feedback about what is happening on the ground in our communities will be taken seriously and acted upon.”

First Nations Voice to the SA Parliament Commissioner Dale Agius during community consultation in the APY lands.

A great chance to speak up – and be heard

INDIGENOUS South Australians are being urged to make the most of their new Voice.

First Nations Voice Commissioner Dale Agius said it was crucial for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get involved in the process and speak up “in a way that supports our aspirations and goals”.

“It’s a chance to get involved and be informed about what a change for the better will look like in your community,” he said.

“Express your democratic right to vote – get involved with the process by putting your name on the electoral roll and speak to community members about who you think will be suitable candidates to take forward community views in your regions.”

After months of extensive engagement throughout South Australia, Agius and the Government drew up a Bill that outlines the foundation for a functional Voice to Parliament model.

Agius expected while there would be some minor changes, the proposal presented to Parliament – a 46-member model with representatives from six regions across the state, with an even number of male and female representatives – will largely remain the same.

Out of the 46 members, 12 will then be chosen by already elected members – two from each region (one man and one woman) – and will go on to form the State First Nations Voice.

An expert working group – to be drawn together by Agius and State Attorney-General Kyam Maher – will determine the specific regions.

Agius said increasing the enrolment uptake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in South Australia was a vital first step in establishing the advisory body.

“We will then go through a nomination phase where representatives can put themselves forward to nominate.

“These are people who will deem themselves worthy of carrying the message of communities and will like to put forward their voices to see change.

“Eligible voters in each region will then have the opportunity to vote in who they think are the most suitable candidates.”

Scott Wilson, lead convenor of the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON), said the First Nations Voice will allow Indigenous people to feel more comfortable about having their say.

“For a lot of Aboriginal people, they’re not going to go into a local electorate office, for example, because it’s an alien process. But if, say, Joe Blow from Ceduna gets elected on to the Voice, that’s someone you see every day who you can go up to (and talk about issues).”

Local involvement will also lead to greater empowerment, he said. “Who knows, once people start engaging in things like the Voice, some might actually think: ‘You know what, I’m confident – I’m going to stand for the next state election’.”

Wilson said an education campaign will be necessary to ensure First Nations people are correctly enrolled to “make their votes count”.

He also welcomed moves to allow descendants of the Stolen Generation – a large component of the Indigenous population in South Australia – to be a part of the Voice process.