Two new Ngarrindjeri faces elected to Murraylands’ First Nations Voice
The pair will join five re-elected members of the Voice for the Murraylands, Riverland and South East after in the wake of the 2026 election.
Two new Ngarrindjeri representatives have been elected to speak for the Indigenous people of the Murraylands, Riverland and South East as members of South Australia’s First Nations Voice.
Malcolm Aston and Stephanie Russell were elected for the first time at last month’s vote.
Ms Russell is a writer and artist, while Mr Aston is a cultural consultant working in the non-profit sector.
“As a proud Ngarrindjeri man, I know how important it is for our mob to have a strong voice at the table – a voice that carries lived experience, cultural responsibility, and the truth of what our communities face every day,” Mr Aston said in a recent social media post.
“Our people deserve to be heard clearly and respectfully, and not just spoken about.”
They will join the returning Tim Hartman, Lisa Rigney, Danni Smith, Rob Wright and Sheryl Giles in representing the region’s Indigenous people for the next four years.
Voting was in the Voice election was optional for any Indigenous person who identified themselves as they cast a vote at the recent state election.
Just 390 votes were cast in the Voice election out of the several thousand voters estimated to have been eligible.
For their time, members of the Murraylands, Riverland and South East Voice will receive a payment of $3000 per year, plus $206 per meeting attended.
The state Voice was established in 2024, and is separate to the federal one which was voted down at a referendum in 2025.
- More information: www.savoiceelection.sa.gov.au.
