Article published by National Indigenous Times. Image: Richard Wainwright
Federal Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle has criticised the state Labor government for its “prioritising of ideology” after a second low voter turnout in the South Australian Voice elections.
The second iteration of the Voice held its elections alongside the SA state election on March 21. Despite what Attorney-General Kyam Maher described as a “significant jump” of about 25 per cent in turnout, only 3,308 votes were cast from more than 30,000 eligible Indigenous voters— less than 11 per cent.
Unlike federal and state elections, voting in South Australia’s Voice elections is not compulsory.
While this was slightly higher than the turnout of less than 10 per cent at the 2024 election, opponents of the Voice have renewed their criticism of the body’s necessity after The Australian reported 12 of the 46 successful candidates received fewer than 20 first-preference votes, including one elected with just six.