Jacinta Price gets a huge promotion from Peter Dutton so she can campaign against the Aboriginal Voice to Parliament
- Jacinta Price gets a huge promotion
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price has been promoted to coalition spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, while Peter Dutton unveils a rearranged front seat.
She replaces Julian Leeser, who left the Coalition frontbench to campaign in Labour’s Voice To Parliament referendum.
The opposition leader described Senator Price as a “fighter”.
“She’s a warrior for Indigenous Australians and she’s a very proud (Northern) Territorial,” he told reporters.
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price has been promoted to spokeswoman for the Coalition for Indigenous Australians
“She has always fought hard to improve the lives of Indigenous women and children, and we have seen that in recent days.
“I know she will do an excellent job leading the charge, but better practical outcomes for Indigenous Australians, not the Prime Minister’s voting bureaucracy in Canberra.”
Senator Price, who has been an outspoken campaigner against an Indigenous vote in the Constitution, said she was “very humble, very grateful that the leadership entrusted me.”
The Voice is a proposed new taxpayer-funded assembly of designated Indigenous peoples who will be empowered to influence and review all government policies affecting Aboriginal people.
A referendum is needed to amend the constitution in order for the vote to go through. The vote will need the support of the majority of Australians in most states to be successful.
At a press conference for the Nationals last November, Ms. Price said, “One of our fundamental principles is that we are all considered equal before the law, regardless of race, regardless of gender, regardless of anything.”
“And why, as an Indigenous Australian, should I be governed by a separate entity from the rest of Australia because of my race?”
Price is the daughter of a Warlpiri woman who served in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and a father of Anglo-Celtic ancestry.
She was born in Darwin, grew up in Alice Springs, had her first child when she was 17 and was a victim of domestic violence.
It was also confirmed that former Secretary of the Interior Karen Andrews will retire at the next federal election, rather than triggering a midterm election.
Michaelia Cash will add Attorney General to her shadow portfolio.
James Patterson will join the shadow cabinet as the new opposition spokesperson for home affairs.
Kerrynne Liddle will take on the role of opposition spokeswoman for child protection and domestic violence prevention.
Ms Andrews, who represents McPherson’s Gold Coast seat, was first elected in 2010.
She served as cabinet minister from 2018 until the fall of the Morison government in the 2022 election.
