Abstract
Consociational theory requires that distinct minorities should be granted proportional representation in the organs of government. While the size of Australia’s Indigenous population would make it difficult to accommodate proportionality in the cabinet, it would be feasible to achieve proportional representation of Indigenous peoples in parliament by designating reserved Indigenous seats in the House of Representatives. This chapter examines the way in which dedicated representation has been granted to Indigenous peoples in other jurisdictions and analyses the efficacy of such measures as a mechanism for furthering Indigenous interests. It discusses how Indigenous representation could be achieved in Australia by means of the allocation of separate seats to Indigenous peoples in proportion to the number of Indigenous voters choosing to register on an Indigenous voters’ roll. The chapter ends by arguing that an Indigenous Voice in parliament has the potential to affect the balance of political power between Indigenous Australians and the rest of society in a way that an Indigenous Voice to Parliament does not. This is particularly so when, as is not uncommon, governments have a small majority in the House of Representatives and when an Indigenous bloc could use its voting power to secure the advancement of Indigenous rights.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Kymlicka (1995, pp. 142–143).
- 2.
Murphy (2008, pp. 203–204).
- 3.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted 13 September 2007, A/RES/61/295.
- 4.
Reynolds (2005, pp. 304–305).
- 5.
Constitution of Lebanon 1926, Art. 24.
- 6.
Constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1995, Art IV 1 and 2.
- 7.
Reynolds (2005, pp. 304–305).
- 8.
Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (2009), Arts 26, 146, 147, 210 and 211.
- 9.
Rice (2020, pp. 3, 7–8).
- 10.
Constitution of Columbia (1991) Arts 171 and 176. See also Yashar (2006, pp. 268–269).
- 11.
Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (1999) Art. 186. See also Yashar (2006, pp. 268–269).
- 12.
Van Cott (2005, pp. 200, 215, 220).
- 13.
Constitution of the Republic of China (1947) Art. 64 as amended by the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China Art 4. See also Kroeber (2017, p. 204).
- 14.
Ku (2005, p. 114).
- 15.
Tan and Preece (2021, p. 11).
- 16.
Iorns-Magnalles (2005, pp. 112–113).
- 17.
New Zealand Parliament (2009).
- 18.
Banducci et al. (2004, pp. 536–537).
- 19.
Stats New Zealand (2019).
- 20.
Banducci et al. (2004, pp. 550–551).
- 21.
Xanthaki and O’Sullivan (2009, p. 195).
- 22.
Section 47 of the Electoral Act 1993 requires only that a candidate be a registered voter and makes no distinction between candidates standing for election to the Māori seats or the general seats.
- 23.
New Zealand Parliament (2009, p. 19).
- 24.
New Zealand Government (1986, pp. 100–105).
- 25.
Vowles (1995, p. 107).
- 26.
Xanthaki and O’Sullivan (2009, p. 192).
- 27.
Hill (2016, p. 156).
- 28.
Kymlicka (1994, pp. 139–140).
- 29.
Xanthaki and O’Sullivan (2009, p. 195).
- 30.
Vowles and Gibbons (2022, p. 7).
- 31.
Banducci et al. (2004, p. 541).
- 32.
Gabel (2020).
- 33.
Spoonley (2020).
- 34.
Joseph (2008).
- 35.
Geddis (2006, pp. 358–359, 365–366).
- 36.
Nissen and MacDonald (2017, pp. 156, 159–160).
- 37.
Iorns Magnalles (2005, p. 112).
- 38.
Attwood and Markus (1999, pp. 16, 73).
- 39.
Chesterman (2006, pp. 269–271).
- 40.
Lloyd (2009).
- 41.
Andren (2002, p. 9).
- 42.
Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (1995, pp. 41–42).
- 43.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1995, [4.27]).
- 44.
Mansell (2016, pp. 24–34).
- 45.
Reilly (2001, p. 75).
- 46.
Ah Kit (1997).
- 47.
Reilly (2001, pp. 91–94).
- 48.
- 49.
- 50.
Evans and Hill (2012, pp. 492–493).
- 51.
Reilly (2001, p. 75).
- 52.
Reilly (2001, p. 96).
- 53.
(1954) 347 U.S. 483.
- 54.
Reilly (2006, p. 425).
- 55.
Kymlicka (1994, pp. 109–110).
- 56.
Kymlicka (1994, p. 141).
- 57.
Attorney General (Cth); Ex rel McKinlay v Commonwealth (1975) 135 CLR 1 and McGinty v Western Australia (1996) 186 CLR 40.
- 58.
Harris (2020, pp. 65–71).
- 59.
New South Wales Parliament (1998, p. iv).
- 60.
New South Wales Parliament (1998, p. v).
- 61.
Commonwealth of Australia (2012, p. 187).
- 62.
Commonwealth of Australia (2012, p. 187).
- 63.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018).
- 64.
Harris (2020, pp. 65–71).
- 65.
For a survey of Australian electoral systems see Bennett and Lundie (2007).
- 66.
Reilly (2001, pp. 94–95).
- 67.
That is to parties other than the Liberals, Labor and the various manifestations of the Nationals (Liberal Nationals, Nationals and Country Liberals).
- 68.
All results are taken from the Australian Electoral Commission website, http://www.aec.gov.au.
- 69.
Murphy (2008, p. 208).
References
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1995) Recognition, rights and reform: a report to the government on native title social justice measures. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/1995/1.html. Accessed 23 July 2021
Ah Kit J (1997) Reconciliation and constitutional issues: participation in government—sovereignty or subjugation? Australian Reconciliation Convention, May 1997. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/car/1997/3/speeches/seminar3/kit.htm. Accessed 23 June 2022
Andren P (2002) Thoughts on the treaty in Australia. Indigenous Law Bull 5:8–10
Attwood B and Markus A (eds), (1999) The Struggle for Aboriginal Rights: A Documentary History, Allen & Unwin, St. Leonards.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/estimates-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-australians/jun-2016#key-statistics. Accessed 6 July 2021
Australian Electoral Commission. Official election results. https://results.aec.gov.au. Accessed 25 May 2022
Banducci S, Donovan T, Karp J (2004) Minority representation, empowerment and participation. J Polit 66:534–556
Bennett S, Lundie R (2007) Australian electoral systems. Research Paper No. 5, Parliamentary Library, Parliament of Australia, Canberra. https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP0708/08rp05. Accessed 29 June 2022
Chesterman J (2006) Chosen by the people?: How federal parliamentary seats might be reserved for indigenous Australians without changing the constitution. Federal Law Rev 261–285.
Commonwealth of Australia (2012) Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution—Report of the Expert Panel. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/mp/files/resources/files/12-01-16-indigenous-recognition-expert-panel-report.pdf. Accessed 12 May 2022
Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (2009) https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Bolivia_2009?lang=en. Accessed 31 May 2022
Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (1995) Going forward: social justice for the first Australians. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra
Evans G, Hill L (2012) The electoral and political implications of reserved seats for Indigenous Australians. Austr J Polit Sci 14:491–505
Gabel G (2020) Election 2020: all eyes on Māori MPs after an impressive battle. New Zealand Herald, 20 Oct 2020
Geddis A (2006) A dual track democracy?: the symbolic role of Maori seats in New Zealand’s electoral system. Election Law J 5:347–371
Harris B (2020) Constitutional reform as a remedy for political disenchantment in Australia. Springer, Singapore
Hill R (2016) New Zealand Māori: the quest for Indigenous autonomy. Ethnopolitics 15:144–165
Iorns Magallnes C (2005) In: Hocking B (ed) Unfinished constitutional business?: Rethinking Indigenous self-determination. Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, pp 106–117
Joseph P (2008) The Māori seats in parliament, New Zealand business roundtable Working Paper No. 2. New Zealand Business Roundtable, Wellington. https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE825038. Accessed 29 June 2022
Kroeber C (2017) Exploring the impact of reserved seat design on the quality of minority representation. Ethnopolitics 16:196–216
Ku K (2005) Rights to recognition minority/indigenous politics in the emerging Taiwanese nationalism. Soc Anal Int J Anthropol 49:99–121
Kymlicka W (1994) Multicultural Citizenship—A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Kymlicka W (1995) Multicultural Citizenship—A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Lloyd B (2009) Dedicated Indigenous representation in the Australian Parliament, Parliament of Australia, Research Paper no. 23 2008–09. https://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/pubs/rp/rp0809/09rp23. Accessed 12 May 2022
Mansell M (2016) Treaty and Statehood: Aboriginal Self-determination. Federation Press, Annandale
Murphy M (2008) Representing Indigenous self-determination. Univ Toronto Law J 58:185–216
New South Wales Parliament (1998) Legislative Council, Standing Committee on Social Issues, Enhancing Aboriginal Political Representation: Inquiry into Dedicated Seats in the New South Wales
New Zealand Government (1986) Towards a better democracy: Report of the royal commission on the electoral system. Government Printer, Wellington. https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/what-is-new-zealands-system-of-government/report-of-theroyal-commission-on-the-electoral-system/. Accessed 28 June 2022
New Zealand Parliament (2009) Origins of the Māori Seats. New Zealand Parliament, Wellington. https://www.parliament.nz/mi/pb/research-papers/document/00PLLawRP03141/origins-of-the-m%C4%81ori-seats. Accessed 13 May 2022
Nissen S, MacDonald L (2017) Theorising representation in the Māori seats: the crucial role of accountability. MAI J 6:153–163
Parliament (Report No. 18, 1998). https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/inquiries/1728/introd.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2022
Reilly A (2001) Dedicated seats in the federal parliament for Indigenous Australians: The theoretical case and its practical possibility. Balayi Indigenous Law Colonialism 2:73–103
Reilly A (2006) A constitutional framework for Indigenous governance. Sydney Law Rev 28:403–435
Reynolds A (2005) Reserved seats in national legislatures: a research note. Legisl Stud Q 30:301–310
Rice R (2020) Does Indigenous mainstreaming work? Mechanisms of Indigenous interest representation in Bolivia. Rep J Rep Democracy, 1–16
Richards L (2021) Indigenous Australian parliamentarians in federal and state/territory parliaments: a quick guide. Parliament of Australia, Canberra. https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/8013286/upload_binary/8013286.pdf. Accessed 23 May 2022
Spoonley P (2020) Does the new parliament look like Us? Radio New Zealand, 23 October 2020. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/428985/does-the-new-parliament-look-like-us. Accessed 23 June 2022
Stats New Zealand (2019) Number of electorates and electoral populations: 2018 census. https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/number-of-electorates-and-electoral-populations-2018-census. Accessed 13 May 2022
Sutherland J, Russel W (1997) Reserved seats for Indigenous Australians? Indigenous Law Bull 4:13–14
Tan N, Preece C (2021) Ethnic quotas, political representation and equity in Asia Pacific. Rep J Rep Democracy 1–25
van Cott D (2005) From movement to parties in Latin America—the evolution of ethnic politics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Vowles J (1995) The politics of electoral reform in New Zealand. Int Polit Sci Rev 16:95–115
Vowles J, Gibbons M (2022) Representation, identity and indigeneity: changes in Māori roll choice in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Kōtuitui New Zealand J Soc Sci Online, pp 1–21
Xanthaki A, O’Sullivan D (2009) Indigenous participation in elective bodies: the Māori in New Zealand. Int J Minority Group Rights 16:181–207
Yashar D (2006) Indigenous politics in the Andes: changing patterns of recognition, reform and representation. In: Mainwaring S et al (eds) The crisis of democratic representation in the Andes. Stanford University Press, Stanford
Zaunmeyr T (2022) Full list: record number of Indigenous MPs voted in to serve the Australian people. National Indigenous Times, 23 May 2022
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harris, B. (2024). Indigenous Parliamentary Representation. In: Indigenous Peoples and Constitutional Reform in Australia . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7121-3_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7121-3_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-7120-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-7121-3
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)