- by Ron Hall, Secretary, Aboriginal Advancement League SA
- The Guardian
- Issue #2199
Photo: matthrkac.com.au – flickr.com (CC BY 2.0)
South Australia’s First Nations Voice is a representative, legislatively created elected body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the state.
Commenting on the 2026 state election, the South Australian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Kyam Maher noted a “significant jump” of around 25% in votes. Of the 30,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the state eligible to vote in the Voice elections, 3,308 votes were cast, representing about 10% increase overall.
The minister explained, “We know there are some challenges. It’s a voluntary vote and we know that there are a lot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who don’t vote at the same rate as the broader population.” He added that having the Voice election on at the same time as the general election meant that Voice may not have been foremost in the mind of some voters along with reported problems at polling booths which are being inquired into.
According to Maher, the Voice has virtually paid for itself. One recommendation from the Voice for specialised bail accommodation saved the government $1.6 million as opposed to an annual operating cost for the Voice of $1.5 million.
“The idea to build that 30-man bail hostel came from the Voice at a cost of $1.37 million a year, compared to a cost of having these men in jail on remand at $3.01 million a year.”
Kyam Maher is deputy premier, and South Australia’s Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Attorney General. Although his Indigenous background was Tasmanian, he grew up in Mount Gambier, South Australia, amongst the Boandik and Ngarrindjeri First Nations people.
The Voice operates at two levels, with six Local First Nations Voices and a State Voice. Through the Voice, First Nations people can have their say at the highest levels of decision-making in South Australia on matters, policies, and laws that affect them. The First Nations Voice Secretariat, located within the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation division of the Attorney-General’s Department, supports the First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Despite the clear benefits of the Voice to South Australia, narrow-minded conservatives have vowed to legislate to remove it.
With the consolidation of the Voice taking place now in South Australia, the state is able to proceed towards the truth-telling and treaty making phases requested in the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. These processes, which will present community-wide challenges, represent necessary steps towards achieving true and necessary reconciliation.
