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Progress Towards Full Recognition of Indigenous Sovereignty in Australia

Cheers and joy as South Australia becomes first state to legislate Indigenous voice to parliament

I am excited and overjoyed to tell you that two days ago my state became the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate an official First Nations voice to parliament (an official advisory body to review, discuss and advise on the drafting of legislation and legislation that is before parliament) to put the Indigenous Peoples in the room and make their concerns known as part of the political process.

We cannot stop here.

Australia has no treaties with any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Nations, no state or territory has treaties, the Crown has made no treaties. This needs to change.

The sovereignty of the First Nations Peoples of this continent is not recognised in our constitution. This needs to change.

In South Australia, today, recognising the right of First Nations Peoples to be consulted directly and in person on the processes of government is a victory. It is also a mile marker on our journey to true recognition of rightful Indigenous sovereignty and not an end in itself.

Soon we will have a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Federal Parliament in our constitution, I am confident we will do the right thing as a nation. But you need to be talking to your friends and your family, your coworkers. Be vocal about your intentions to vote yes, be vocal and visible in your support for The Statement From The Heart.

The next question for us is the question of a Republic. Here I give an opinion. We should largely devolve the powers of the Governor General to the Chairperson of the Indigenous Voice. If we are to keep the functions of our political system largely consistent (as I expect to be the majority preference), the symbolism inherent in parliament asking permission of a first nations quorum for permission to form government or call elections is a powerful one. A new constitution is also clearly an opportunity to recognise indigenous sovereignty over this land and should not be squandered, we need to be calling for it, all of us.

Know who’s country you’re on. I am writing from Tarndanya Wama (Plains of the Red Kangaroo, also known by the colonial name Adelaide Plains) the lands of Kaurna people. Sovereignty never ceded.

(this really is directly talking to non-Aboriginal folks)