Northern Territory Election

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

I seek leave to a move a motion, as circulated, relating to allegations involving the Chair of the Northern Land Council in the intimidation and bullying of an Indigenous female candidate in the Northern Territory election.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the name of the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Senator McKenzie moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to allow a motion relating to the Northern Territory to be moved and determined immediately.

The government needs to investigate the possibility of the involvement of the Northern Land Council in the Northern Territory election. Yesterday we witnessed the Minister for Indigenous Australians' complete and utter disregard for an Indigenous woman who is running as a candidate in the Territory election. She failed to provide answers to the questions that were put to her; in fact, instead she chose to make light of those circumstances, of very serious allegations that are her responsibility to look further into. In fact, her performance, I might say, was reminiscent of—I would suggest she was probably the Raygun of the Senate yesterday.

Elections are one of the most fundamental elements of our free and democratic societies. It's one of the reasons why Australia has become such a significant part of the free Western world, and this is why the reports in the Australian of intimidation, of bullying, of an Indigenous female candidate—this is misogyny. We hear from the government accusations of misogyny put towards this side of the chamber all the time, but when it comes to Aboriginal women this issue is not so important; we're told we can't call out misogyny when it relates to Indigenous men who are leaders in communities and chairs of land councils. Well, I'm calling out this misogyny, and the Minister for Indigenous Australians has a responsibility to launch an investigation into this misogyny. The Northern Land Council is a statutory authority brought into existence to serve its members who need someone to represent their interests. It's unacceptable that a body such as the Land Council would have even a remote part to play in undermining one of our most vital democratic processes like the Territory election.

This matter requires that there be a suspension of standing orders because this is a matter of urgent necessity. We do not have any more time. The final day for Territorians to cast their vote is this Saturday, 24 August. If there is even a suggestion that there has been some involvement of the Northern Land Council in the campaign of a standing candidate, Territorians need to know about it. The minister proved during question time yesterday she doesn't take this matter seriously; she made a joke of it, and it was a farce—in fact, the whole government benches did. She was unable to deny any interference. It's there in plain sight, as was reported in the Australian. Nothing the minister has said alleviates my concern in any way.

There is also a necessity because I tried to raise this issue in the chamber with the minister yesterday and got absolutely nothing of benefit in response. In fact I was appalled at the behaviour, the conduct, of the minister and the government over a matter as serious as interference in an Australian election by a land council—a body she directly oversees as the Minister for Indigenous Australians. It's ironic, really. It's just unbelievable. For all their talk about championing Aboriginal people, this Labor government is consistently demonstrating it has no regard for our most vulnerable people and communities.

Yanja Thompson is a young woman living in the Northern Territory—a Yolngu woman, a hardworking woman, a single mother raising three of her children and wanting to contribute to her community and to society at large. She is trying to do so by standing as a bush candidate. Remember, it's in the bush that women experience the highest rates of domestic and family violence, where Indigenous women are most vulnerable. You would think this would be a characterisation Labor would be delighted about—that a woman under these circumstances, one of our most vulnerable members of society, is standing up in this way. But no, as she is a woman, seen through the empty words of the Labor government, who dares to stand for something different. I say 'dares' because she is a perfect example of what happens to you if you refuse to subscribe to Labor's ideology; in this case, like Yanja's case, you deserve to be attacked and brought down, it seems. So it's ironic that the very vulnerabilities that would otherwise make her a hero if she were aligned to Labor are being used to destroy her in this Northern Territory election. This is bullying. This is intimidation. It's a vigilante-type approach to politics, and we require an investigation.

Katy Gallagher

The government does not support the suspension of standing orders, and I reject the slurs and imputations that have been put by Senator Nampijinpa Price against Labor members and the minister. There are many opportunities to have a five-minute speech—that's essentially what Senator Nampijinpa Price wanted—at other times of the program. I move:

That the question be now put.

Sue Lines

The question is that the closure motion, as moved by Senator Gallagher, be agreed to.