A "Fresh Bridge": South Australia's First Nations Voices

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dc.contributor.authorOlijnyk, A.
dc.contributor.authorKoch, C.
dc.contributor.authorPerrett, M.
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractIn 2023, South Australia became the first jurisdiction to create a First Nations Voice in response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In this comment we (three non-Indigenous scholars) examine this new South Australian institution intended to give First Nations1 people “more of a say in the decisions that affect their lives”2 and provide a “fresh bridge” to a better future.3 Of course, South Australia’s First Nations Voice is far from the first representative body seeking to increase First Nations peoples’ input into political issues that affect them. First Nations people have long advocated for greater political influence in both the sub-national and federal jurisdiction. This history began at the point of colonisation and has continued to the present day.4 When seen as part of this history, the 2023 referendum on a First Nations Voice is neither the beginning nor the end of the story. It is merely a step along the way. Nor is South Australia the first sub-national Australian jurisdiction to establish a representative First Nations Body. Current examples include the ACT’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body5 and the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.6 The South Australian First Nations Voice is, however, the first representative body established as a direct response to the call for a Voice in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. A two-stage community consultation process was undertaken when designing the First Nations Voice. In both stages the Commissioner for First Nations Voice Dale Agius, a Kaurna, Narungga, Ngadjuri and Ngarrindjeri man, conducted face to face engagement sessions with First Nations people in urban, regional and remote locations across the State. The first round7 assisted with determining the fundamental principles underpinning a First Nations Voice for South Australia. These informed the draft legislation.8 The second round9 was consultation on the draft Bill. In this comment we introduce the structure, membership, and functions of the South Australian Voice before reflecting on the experience of the first elections in March 2024.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityCornelia Koch, Anna Olijnyk and Madeleine Perrett
dc.identifier.citationPublic Law Review, 2024; 35(2):112-118
dc.identifier.issn1034-3024
dc.identifier.issn1034-3024
dc.identifier.orcidOlijnyk, A. [0000-0003-0140-7657]
dc.identifier.orcidPerrett, M. [0009-0005-4376-5745]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/141823
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherThomson Reuters (Professional)
dc.rights© 2024 Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited
dc.subjectSouth Australia
dc.subjectFirst Nations Voice
dc.titleA "Fresh Bridge": South Australia's First Nations Voices
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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