Say, Didn’t We Have a Referendum on This? By James Reed

       This extract is from: https://www.firstnationsvoice.sa.gov.au/. Please explain how there is a Voice when the people of South Australia voted against it? Time to vote out Labor!

South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament

The state government is committed to supporting Aboriginal public sector employees who seek election to the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament.

First Nations South Australians are currently being encouraged to enrol to nominate and vote in the upcoming elections for Local First Nations Voice regions, to be held on Saturday 21 March 2026. Nominations for the election close on 10 February, with information on how to enrol available at savoiceelection.sa.gov.au.

Public sector employees elected to the Voice are entitled to remuneration for their participation as determined by the Governor. The current fees and allowances are outlined on the SA First Nations Voice to Parliament website.

Public sector employees can also apply for uncapped special leave with pay for the purpose of fulfilling their Voice-related duties. This mirrors the provisions for Defence Force Reserves and is subject to:

the employee being required to fulfil their statutory responsibilities as a current elected member of the Voice within their normal or rostered working hours

reasonable notice of absences being provided where possible

applications to access the leave being made to the agency head or chief executive, or their delegate.

This leave is in addition to the 15 days of Special Leave with Pay available to all public sector employees.

Candidates who are public sector employees should be aware of their ethical obligations as public sector employees in campaigning for election, and should they be elected.

Public sector employees elected to the Voice remain bound by the Code of Ethics for the South Australian Public Sector at all times, both in and outside of the workplace. Like all public sector employees, such employees are generally permitted to engage in conduct in a private capacity that is intended to influence public opinion on an issue or promote an outcome in the public interest.

Public sector employees are usually not permitted to engage in conduct which may seriously prejudice the government or public sector agency in the conduct of its policies. This restriction is lifted however for employees elected to the Voice.

All public sector employees including those elected remain under an obligation to ensure they do not disclose:

information in breach of intellectual property rights

information contrary to any law or legal instructions or directions

information with a view to securing a pecuniary or other advantage for themselves or others

information of commercial value.

Further guidance regarding the First Nations Voice to Parliament is available from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment website.