Australia’s Aboriginals vote in historic rights vote

A vote for Australia’s first state-based Aboriginal Voices Parliament will be held on Saturday. The agency will provide advice to the South Australian government and legislators on Aboriginal issues.

The South Australian Aboriginal Voices Parliament will be the elected representative body for the state’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, made up of members from these groups.

In October, Australians overwhelmingly rejected a national proposal to amend the constitution to recognize Aboriginal people and create a body for them to advise the federal government.

In South Australia, officials said it would give Aboriginal communities the opportunity to have their say at “the highest decision-making levels… including to parliament on matters, policies and laws that affect them”.

The state Legislature passed a law last year establishing the advisory body. South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said at the time it was a powerful sign of respect for Australia’s Aboriginal people.

Unlike the failed national proposal, South Australia’s Parliamentary Voice will not be included in the state constitution, so a future government may abolish it.

South Australia’s Attorney-General Kyam Maher told local media the agency would provide advice to state parliament on policies affecting Indigenous Australians.

“It will not have the right to vote in parliament,” Maher said. “It does not have the power to veto anything. But its power is not only to advise parliament but also to speak in parliament.”

Unlike other local, state and federal elections where voting is compulsory, South Australia’s Parliamentary Voice vote is voluntary and open only to the approximately 30,000 registered Aboriginal voters.

Aboriginal electorate Travis Nash told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he was looking forward to having his views heard by lawmakers in the state capital, Adelaide.

“We’re going to have rural people represent rural people,” he said. “To the extent that the person who will be appointed is my neighbour, rather than going to Adelaide [where] When I talk to people, they are all wearing suits and expensive shoes. “

Supporters say the plan will unite Australia and help address disadvantage. Aboriginal Australians have lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous people and have high rates of poverty, incarceration and unemployment.

Opponents of the National Aboriginal Voices Parliament say the idea would be divisive and would create special “classes” of Australian citizens, some of whom are more equal than others. The debate in South Australia has been quiet because Voice of the State does not involve changing the state constitution and the vote is only open to registered Aboriginal people.

According to official figures, Aboriginal people make up just over 3% of Australia’s population and nearly 2.5% in South Australia.

Voters will choose 46 positions from 113 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates.

Results are expected later this month after mail-in ballots are returned in remote areas.