Dedicated seats for Indigenous Australians in Federal Parliament

Abstract

This paper discusses a proposal for the allocation of dedicated seats in the Federal Parliament for Indigenous Australians. The article briefly examines the history of Indigenous participation in mainstream politics, tracing the struggle for voting rights and for representation in Federal Parliament. The article explores the bases for Indigenous claims to special representation focussing, in particular, on the importance of ‘identity’ and of ‘group rights’ for effective representation. The article concludes by considering some of the many issues surrounding the implementation of a dedicated seats proposal.