The bill passed in a special Sunday sitting of parliament on 26 March 2023 and was given royal assent immediately afterwards.[2][3]
The SA Voice to Parliament was established by legislation and is not enshrined in the constitution of South Australia.[4] Dale Agius is the South Australian First Nations Voice Commissioner, in charge of the process to create the new body.[4]
Implementation of the SA Voice was delayed for six months owing to possible confusion introduced by the debate about the national referendum on a national Voice in October.[5]
After the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum in which over 60% of South Australians voted against the Voice, state Liberal leader David Speirs cast some doubt on the state voice. One Nation MP Sarah Game announced plans to introduce a bill calling for the First Nations Voice Act 2023 to be repealed.[6]
Constituencies and process
There are six electoral constituencies, and unlike state and federal elections, voting is not compulsory. Around 14,000 Aboriginal people live in Adelaide, and between 3,000 and 4,000 in each of five regional constituencies. There are 11 representatives for the central Adelaide Voice, and seven for each regional Voice, making a total of 46.[4]
Candidate nominations opened on 22 January 2024.[7] By 1 March 2024, 113 people had nominated to stand as candidates, with over a third from Adelaide.[4]
The elections for the SA body took place on 16 March 2024,[8] and vote counting began on 25 March, to allow for all postal votes to be received.[9]
Outcome
Turnout was reported to be low, with fewer than 10% of eligible electors voting.[10][11] However, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher described it as a successful election, saying that the Voice was "well on track", and that it would take time to build awareness and engagement. One of the successful candidates, Douglas Clinch, attributed the low turnout partly to the lack of attention given to the election by mainstream media.[12]
First meeting
The inaugural meeting of the 12-member Voice, held on 12 June 2024, elected Central region representative Tahlia Wanganeen and West Coast representative Leeroy Bilney as presiding members, who would be delegated to speak to Parliament.[13]
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