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Australia state passes landmark legislation giving Indigenous population a first ‘voice to Parliament’ – JURIST

In a special sitting Sunday, the Parliament of the Australian state of South Australia passed the First Nations Voice Bill 2023, amending the state’s constitution to enable representatives elected by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the state to directly address ministers and government departments on specific legislation and reforms which are of concern to them. Elections to choose these representatives are to be held later this year.The bill was bought for royal assent before South Australia Governor Frances Adamson by President of the Legislative Council Terry Stephens and Commissioner for the First Nations Voice Dale Agius. Assent was given at a public ceremony held outside Parliament House, where thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and supporters gathered to witness the historic event.South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas declared, “South Australia has a history of doing the right thing first and setting an example for the rest of the country.”  South Australia Attorney General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher acknowledged, however, that “In decades and centuries gone by the laws of our state and the colonies that preceded it have done so much to deliberately disenfranchise, disempower and disadvantage Aboriginal people. Today we use those laws to do exactly the opposite.” Maher recognized The Uluru Statement of the Heart, which calls “for the Establishment of a First Nations Voice in the Constitution”, stating that “Enshrining a voice to parliament in law is the first step in our commitment to the full implementation of the Uluru Statement.”The passing of this legislation follows the announcement of a national referendum to be held later this year on amending the Australian Constitution to include a national voice to parliament for Australian Indigenous peoples.