"We, the 46 elected members of South Australia First Nations Voice to Parliament stand united to strongly oppose the First Nations Voice Repeal Bill. The Bill is grounded on the false premise that all South Australians are equally represented and stand on equal footing. For generations, governments have designed laws, policies and systems without us. The results are well known: entrenched poverty, overrepresentation of child removals, people dying in mass incarceration, ongoing housing crises, poorer health outcomes, higher levels of need for our aging population and for Stolen Generations and their descendants, and overall widening inequity. The persistence of Closing the Gap inequities demonstrates that existing systems are not yet working equally for Aboriginal communities and First Nations people do not have equal civic status. First Nations people live with these failures and understand exactly why the gaps persist. The Voice to Parliament creates direct pathways for our lived experiences to inform decision-making and accountability. Strong democracies are strengthened, not weakened, when the people most impacted by laws and policies are part of shaping them. Sustainable change will only come when those most impacted are leading the conversation. If existing systems alone were delivering equitable outcomes, the gap would already be closed.

The South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament was established to ensure a democratic mechanism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander South Australians to be included in decisions that directly impact our lives, families, communities and futures. The Voice was established in recognition that Aboriginal communities have the solutions to the challenges we face and precisely because equity in our communities has not yet been achieved. The Voice to Parliament reflects internationally recognised obligations and protections supporting the rights of First Nations peoples to participate in decisions affecting our communities. Under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People; it enables the exercise of our right to self-determination by having a voice on matters of local affairs directly impacting our lives. Our communities deserve more than symbolic consultation after decisions are already made; we deserve seats at every table.

Supporting the Bill reinforces systemic racism, silencing the very mechanism created to ensure First Nations people have a fair and structured say in decisions that directly affect our lives. True civic equality cannot exist when First Nation Voices are deliberately excluded from the system of power that govern them.

The Leader of the Opposition seeks to create division and silence Aboriginal peoples. The Liberal government has proposed to reinstate a Parliamentary Standing Committee that consisted of non-Aboriginal politicians providing advice and making decisions about Aboriginal Lands. The Voice members strongly reject this proposal. This does not provide genuine representation of Aboriginal communities and is not a model that can respond to the diverse needs and challenges we are facing; it limits the scope to matters only relating to Aboriginal land, neglecting the various other priority areas. It is difficult to reconcile claims about delivering practical outcomes for Aboriginal South Australians while seeking to repeal a legislated mechanism designed to support exactly that.

In its first two years, the Voice has contributed substantial and practical advice on criminal justice and rehabilitation, education, and domestic and family violence reforms. The Voice has engaged across our diverse communities to elevate priorities and provide strengths-based approaches and direct pathways for community voices to contribute to decision-making at the highest levels of State government.

The Voice is a practical, efficient and cost-effective mechanism that strengthens communication between communities and governments, improves accountability and supports better-informed decision-making grounded in lived experience, community expertise and evidence. At a time when millions of dollars continue to be spent across government systems to improve outcomes for First Nations communities with varying impact and success, the Voice is a practical, efficient and cost-effective model that improves decision-making, strengthens accountability and is informed by our lived experience and community expertise.

Governments, both State and Federal, have repeatedly committed to principles of partnership, co-design and shared decision-making with First Nations peoples. Attempts to dismantle the Voice to Parliament are deeply concerning and directly contradict the partnership and inclusion governments publicly claim to uphold. Like all democratic institutions, the Voice should continue to evolve, strengthen and improve through accountability, experience and ongoing community-engagement. Repealing its establishment would be a step backwards and return us to approaches that exclude us from decision-making about our communities.

South Australians understand that better outcomes happen when people are listened to, respected and included in decisions affecting their lives. We call on Parliament to reject this Bill and to uphold a future grounded in respect, partnership and self-determination. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring First Nations peoples are heard, respected and meaningfully included in the decisions that shape our future. The Voice is not the problem; it is a vital part of the solution."

Approved by the Members of the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament.