The South Australian Government has successfully passed legislation through Parliament to formally recognise the Aboriginal people in the State’s constitution.

“This is a significant day in reconciliation between the descendants of the first South Australians and those who have made our State their home more recently,” Premier Jay Weatherill said.

“This recognition does not and can not reduce every wrong that Aboriginal South Australians have endured as a result of European settlement but it is a landmark in the process of reconciliation. It is a powerful symbol of respect.

The Constitutional amendments include a statement of acknowledgement and respect which:

  • Records the Apology to the Stolen Generation given in Parliament on 28 May 1997
  • Acknowledges and respects Aboriginal peoples as the State’s first peoples and nations
  • Recognises Aboriginal peoples as traditional owners and occupants of the land and waters in South Australia
  • Acknowledges that the Aboriginal peoples have endured past injustices and dispossession of their traditional lands and waters.