‘Historic day’ as Bill guaranteeing two NT federal parliament seats set to enter the Senate

NT SENATOR Malarndirri McCarthy says today is ‘an historic day’ as a Bill guaranteeing the NT keeps its second lower house seat in federal parliament is set to enter the senate

• Bill to guarantee two federal NT seats set to pass parliament this week
• Federal Government will legislate to ensure the NT always has two seats in federal parliament

NT SENATOR Malarndirri McCarthy has thanked the family of Vincent Lingiari for their help campaigning to ensure the Federal lower house seat named after him is not abolished, with a Bill which would ensure the NT keeps the seat set to pass the Senate today.

The Electoral Amendment (Territory Representation) Bill 2020 was is expected to enter the Senate late tonight or tomorrow morning.

The Bill has bipartisan support and is expected to pass both the upper and lower houses this week.

Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra this morning, Senator McCarthy said today was an important day for Territory democracy.

“The people of the Northern Territory have fought hard to protect the two seats. The decision by the AEC to remove one of them, we found was unfair and unjust,” she said.

“So today, we will see the debate in the Senate, which follows a bill, a Private Senator’s Bill that was introduced by myself and Senator Don Farrell in June to protect the two seats.”

Senator McCarthy said the family of Vincent Lingiari had fought alongside her in the campaign.

“The seat of Lingiari is incredibly enormous. It covers all of the Territory except the Darwin and parts of the Palmerston region. And the seat of Lingiari was named after Vincent Lingiari. So the people of Wavehill, the Gurindji, were incredibly saddened to hear that it was quite possible we would lose the name and the seat,” she said.

“I’d like to personally say thank you to the children and grandchildren of the late Mr Vincent Lingiari for supporting me in this and also to all of those Territorians and Australians who signed the petition to the Senate to protect the two seats,” she said.

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“This is because of you and your passion for effective democracy in this country.”

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