Indigenous candidates have Canberra on their radars: On Saturday 18 May 2019 Australia heads to the polls. In this Federal Election, there are at least twenty-one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates. While there are reasons to see this as a sign of change, to date there has only been nine Indigenous people elected to the federal Parliament (seven in the Senate and two in the House of Representatives).
Eight candidates are standing for the Senate (upper house) and twelve for the House of Representatives, with representation in every state/territory expect Australian Capital Territory. This election could result in more milestones being achieved but it's not been an easy pathway. Before 'firsts' were celebrated, the fight for citizenship and voting rights had to be won.
Across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had their rights to vote given and taken and given again. In 1965, all Indigenous people finally won the right to vote in state elections, with Queensland being the last state to grant this right. A
