First Nations Voice To Parliament

345 The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO ().10 April 2024).

1. To support the First Nations Voice to Parliament's initial election, what was the number of engagement activities undertaken by Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA)?

2. Where did these engagement activities occur?

3. On what dates did these engagement activities occur?

4. How much did each of these engagement activities cost?

5. How much did these engagement activities cost in total?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): I have sought advice from the Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) and am advised:

Between August 2023 and March 2024, ECSA undertook 75 engagement sessions in metropolitan and regional South Australia. The dates and locations are available on the savoiceelection.sa.gov.au website and below.

ECSA's focus with community was on its extensive engagement activities, which included educating community on the election, the nominations process and voting information.

Over 300 service providers were engaged through this election, not all requested visits or engagement sessions. These service providers included traditional cultural groups, health services, education institutions, government support groups, non-government organisations (NGOs), and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. Those that did not request engagement sessions were provided with promotional support materials to distribute to their community members and networks.

ECSA also conducted a workshop with key community leaders and elders to seek their advice on how best to conduct voting in a culturally safe way. Many of the initiatives gained from this workshop were implemented at the inaugural election.

The total ECSA cost of this engagement program amounted to $64,509.81.