Centre of Democracy

Centre of Democracy Explore the people and ideas that have shaped democracy in South Australia 🏛️

The Centre of Democracy is a place in Adelaide to explore the people and ideas that have shaped democracy in South Australia, and encourages you to consider the state of democracy today and the power of your voice in it. Open daily with free admission, the Centre of Democracy is located in the Institute Building, corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue.

09/08/2026

The vision that drove Elizabeth forward 🚗✨

05/07/2026

50 years of NAIDOC Week - 50 years of strength, survival, and story. 🖤💛❤️

More than just a week, it has always been a platform, a protest, a celebration, and a statement of survival.

We honour and recognise the voices, culture, leadership, and the generations who paved the way - not by chance, but through resilience and a refusal to be silenced.

This moment is about looking back at the stories, the marches, the languages, the art, and the leadership.

On this day in 1992, the Mabo case decision was made by the High Court. The date marks the last day of National Reconcil...
02/06/2026

On this day in 1992, the Mabo case decision was made by the High Court. The date marks the last day of National Reconciliation Week every year. The Mabo decision recognised First Nations peoples’ rights to the land, and that terra nullius should not have been applied to Australia.

This High Court ruling also led to the Australian Parliament passing the Native Title Act 1993. Australia's first land rights legislation was the South Australian Parliament’s Aboriginal Lands Trust Act, passed on 8 December 1966.

The 'Living in the Port' exhibition features a sign demanding Aboriginal land rights by wharfies. This sign from the 1960s demonstrated the united protests and solidarity that took place by members of the Waterside Workers Federation in Port Adelaide in support of Aboriginal rights.

The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2026, All In, is a reminder that the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change.

đź“· 'Wharfies Demand Aboriginal Land Rights!' sign, circa 1960, History Trust of South Australia, HT 1994.2142

đź“· Waterside Workers' Federation members march in support of Aboriginal rights, Sydney, New South Wales, ANU Archives, 1966, Z248-81-14

27/05/2026

Today marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week. This year's theme is All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

All In makes clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change.

The theme also reminds us that reconciliation and advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights isn’t a passive activity, and it is not solely the responsibility of First Nations people, who have carried the weight of championing, explaining and acting for far too long.

Reconciliation will not happen by itself, and it will not happen without all of us.

Did you know there were two SA Premiers named Richard Butler?! đź‘€
13/05/2026

Did you know there were two SA Premiers named Richard Butler?! đź‘€

24/04/2026

On Anzac Day we remember our troops who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

This postcard was sent from Cairo, Egypt to James Ralston of the Port Adelaide area on 16th December 1915. During WWI, Anzac troops were trained in Egypt prior to entering the Gallipoli peninsula and the Western Front. Egypt also served as a hospital base to treat wounded troops prior to their long voyage back to Australia and New Zealand.

Although presumably friends of Mr Ralston, we do not know the exact identity of the soldiers in this photograph; where they fought or their fate. This is often the case with many similar images from past conflicts. Today we remember all who served, even those whose names we don't know.

đź“· Postcard, HT 1998.0412 b, State History Collection.

Address

Corner Of North Terrace And Kintore Avenue
Adelaide, SA
5000

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+61882039888

Website

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