OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE ANNUAL REPORT

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CASE STUDY: NATIONAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH PARLIAMENT
OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE ANNUAL REPORT 2011-12
Proceedings of the Indigenous
Youth Parliament.
Photo: OPH Collection
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS
YOUTH PARLIAMENT
On 21 May 1962, an amendment was made to
the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, entitling
Indigenous Australians to enrol to vote at federal
elections and referendums. In May 2012, young
Indigenous people from around Australia formed
the National Indigenous Youth Parliament to
celebrate that major event in the journey of
Australian democracy.
The National Indigenous Youth Parliament was
developed by the Australian Electoral Commission,
in conjunction with the museum and the YMCA, to
commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Indigenous
electoral enfranchisement. The organisers worked
with Indigenous communities to recruit 50 young
Indigenous leaders, representing every state and
territory and including two representatives from the
Torres Strait, to take part.
The House of Representatives Chamber at Old
Parliament House has witnessed many historic
moments in the development of democratic rights
for Indigenous Australians, from the tabling of the
1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions to the announcement
of the 1967 referendum that gave Indigenous
Australians the right to be included in the census.
It was a fitting venue for the event, in which
the young representatives debated a series of
‘Bills’ focused on delivering justice to Indigenous
communities around Australia.
The debate covered a wide range of issues,
such as mandatory immunisation, Indigenous
housing reform, and the integration of Australian
Indigenous lore into the Australian justice system.
Participants also had the opportunity to raise
matters of conscience in ‘adjournment debates’,
and impassioned speeches were made on subjects
as diverse as changing the date of Australia Day,
mental health in remote Indigenous communities,
and the right of Torres Strait Islanders to hunt local
animals.
During the closing ceremony, the ‘Bills’ that
had been debated were presented by the Youth
Governor-General, Ms Malama Gray, to the
Hon Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Ms
Macklin commented that she looked forward
to scrutinising them in detail and considering
introducing them, in whole or in part, in the
Australian Parliament.
The museum was delighted to be involved in such
an inspiring and uplifting event.