Jacinta Price has ousted CLP senator Sam McMahon from winnable Senate ticket position
Indigenous woman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has won the NT Country Liberal Party’s lead nomination for the Senate, ousting Barnaby Joyce’s choice.
Indigenous woman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price won the Country Liberal Party’s top-of-the-ticket nomination in the Northern Territory on Saturday for the Senate for the next federal election, defeating the incumbent and new Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce’s favoured contender, sitting senator, Sam McMahon.
Ms Price is the Alice Springs Deputy Mayor and daughter of former CLP minister Bess Price.
The decision by the CLP to opt for Ms Price comes after a week of controversy for Senator McMahon, who has been the centre of drinking allegations and claims of a toxic office environment.
Ms Price had declared she wanted to fight for all Northern Territorians and particularly marginalised Aboriginal women and children, although she faced resistance from within the Coalition to her bid to be elected to the Senate.
The CLP central council, which is meeting in Darwin, has announced Ms Price will stand as its top candidate for the Territory’s two Senate seats, effectively shared between the CLP and Labor traditionally.
Mr Joyce, before he became leader again this month, backed Senator McMahon, who sits with the Nationals in Canberra.
He said Ms Price was “an excellent person” and should run in one of the territory’s marginal lower-house Labor-held seats of Lingiari or Solomon.
“For Jacinta to walk into a seat we already have is below her capabilities of what she could achieve,” Mr Joyce said then.
“I will be supporting Sam McMahon 100 per cent, absolutely to the hilt. If the Coalition wants to win the next election, they must take out insurance by targeting winnable seats,’’ he said.
Senator McMahon was first elected at the 2019 election.
As expected the CLP has preselected another Alice Springs councillor in its Mayor, Damien Ryan. Mr Ryan will contest the seat of Lingiari for the CLP against Labor‘s Marion Scrymgour.
Tina MacFarlane returns to the federal election campaign trail for the CLP after winning the preselection battle to contest the seat of Solomon for the party.
READ MORE: CLP dumps Sam McMahon for Jacinta Price in Senate preselection battle
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