First ATSIC regional council election

3 November 1990

On this day, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people took part in the first round of regional council elections for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, known as ATSIC. The date marks an electoral milestone, distinct from ATSIC commencing operations on 5 March 1990.

From establishment to elections

The Commonwealth Gazette notice fixed 3 November as polling day for the first round. The Australian Electoral Commission records that it conducted ATSIC elections and identifies elected regional councils and a board of commissioners as features of the organisation.

The regional structure connected national arrangements with people in particular places. Its importance was not only that an election occurred, but that community members could stand for office and take part in choosing representatives within that structure.

Participation and accountability

A ballot is one part of representation. Meaningful participation also depends on how candidates and elected members hear from people, how priorities are identified and how communities can assess the decisions made in their name.

Regional representation should not be confused with a claim that each region had one shared perspective. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have distinct identities, relationships and priorities. Recognising that diversity is essential when learning about a national representative institution.

The anniversary also sits within a longer history of First Nations electoral participation. It was not the first national election of an Aboriginal representative body: the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee election took place in 1973. Nor was it the moment Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples first gained rights to vote in Australian parliamentary elections.

Reflecting on the anniversary

Schools and workplaces can use this date to explore the difference between consultation and representation. Who chooses the people speaking on behalf of a community? What responsibilities follow that choice? How is disagreement recognised without treating it as a failure of participation?

Seek First Nations accounts of the experience of voting, campaigning and serving. Avoid presenting the election as evidence that all questions of self-determination had been settled. The opportunity to participate and the limits of the institution both belong in the story.

Continue learning

Finding Our Heart, by Thomas Mayor and illustrated by Blak Douglas, offers younger readers a thematic starting point for thinking about voice, listening and participation. It is not a history of ATSIC.

Sources and further reading

Commonwealth Gazette: notice fixing the first regional council polling day; Australian Electoral Commission: electoral milestones; Senate procedural bulletin: the 1990 ATSIC election rules.