The Northern Territory is full of potential, but needs investment

Economic recovery from Covid-19, international trade wars and fiscal scrutiny are at the centre of all decisions for Australia’s future at the moment, and the Territory needs to be at that centre, writes JACINTA PRICE.

THE Northern Territory is all about community. We like to distinguish ourselves from the rest of Australia because we take pride in our community’s way of life.

This is a place where you know your neighbours, your butcher, your chemist or your grocer.

It’s likely you’ve supported your kids on weekends in their sports and if you aren’t part of a sporting club yourself, you probably once were.

You can walk down the street of just about any town in the Territory and stop for a yarn with someone you’ve not seen in weeks, months or even years, but still know and respect.

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The NT is a place where people come together in times of hardship and we Territorians are always prepared to give to one another in a time of need.

As a born and raised Territorian, a wife and mother of four sons who were proudly born and raised in the Northern Territory I am driven by the values of community and family.

As the Country Liberal Party’s Senate candidate, I am determined to do everything I can to see my community – the Northern Territory – flourish and prosper.

Jacinta Price is the CLP’s number one candidate for the senate at the next federal election. Picture: Supplied

I come with business experience behind me and understand the value of enterprise and employment.

I believe in the value of education and jobs, of the dignity and self-affirmation of work and the necessity to break away from the undermining trap of welfare.

I want to help small and large businesses from the desert to the tropics to open their doors and provide opportunities other Australians will envy.

It has been an incredible privilege serving my community as a town councillor and deputy mayor.

It has sharpened the unique and practical Territorian lens we all apply to our circumstances and bolstered my determination to have the Northern Territory play a bigger role in the nation’s economy, through export, trade, food security and industries such as tourism.

We know the Northern Territory is full of potential to achieve this, so our capacity to influence, make decisions and attract investment is more crucial at the federal government level than ever before.

Economic recovery from COVID-19, international trade wars and fiscal scrutiny, are at the centre of all decisions, and the Territory needs to be at that centre.

I am determined to position us to make sure we are leading and not lagging.

I have long fought to maintain our Australian values.

Debating on the Senate floor doesn’t just require the ability to decipher and understand government policy but also the ability to take a logical and robust stand against the ideological attacks from political opponents, with the impacts of decisions for the Northern Territory forefront in those robust debates.

Right now, more than ever, the extreme Left has aggressively attacked our fundamental Australian values.

They have used labels against us such as racist, homophobic, transphobic — the list goes on.

The purpose of such labelling is to divide society, control the narrative, restrict free speech and erode our Australian values: democracy, human dignity, respect, opportunity, safety for the vulnerable, and the chance of a “fair go” for all.

Coupled with that – as anybody who has heard me speak or read my writing will know – I believe in fiscal responsibility, the free market, and that the rule of law should apply to and protect us all.

I will continue to fight for our marginalised – women and children who have suffered from the high rates of domestic and family violence.

I intend to open the doors of parliament so that their voices are heard.

I am prepared to battle against the insidious undermining influence of the “woke” inner-city elite, using identity politics to try and splinter Australian society and community and hinder our ways of living, values and future.

My commitment is to continue to fight for the advancement of our Northern Territory, to continue to strengthen our values, to listen to and effectively represent the interests of all Territorians.

Jacinta Price is the CLP’s number one candidate for the senate at the next federal election