Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last weekend South Australia conducted its first election for an Indigenous voice to parliament. One hundred and thirteen candidates stood for 46 positions in six local regions. Once elected, each committee will choose two representatives to sit on the state voice, which will be given the opportunity twice a year to present to parliament. The government estimates that 30,000 were eligible to vote, but, as there is no electoral roll which indicates a person's indigeneity, this figure can be no more than a guess. Astonishingly, there was no requirement or mechanism to prove an Indigenous heritage in order to cast a vote.

The state's Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Kyam Maher, stated: 'There is nothing to fear with the SA First Nations voice to parliament. It will have an advisory role with no power to coerce parliament on anything.' As there has been no indication of how much this new body will cost to run, and given its lack of power, one would be forgiven for wondering, perhaps, what on earth it is all about. The minister has said we need not fear the Indigenous vote on development; however, given the green activists are aligning themselves with Indigenous groups to hold up projects all over Australia, perhaps that is not even relevant. For evidence of this, I reference the Santos projects at Narrabri and Barossa, the Woodside Scarborough development and Kimba's radioactive waste management facility, which have all been delayed or scuttled by what looks like an existing veto.