SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Kerrynne Liddle UNITE to Take Down Government on Indigenous Affairs
- Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price dumped from frontbench, but vows to continue speaking out on Indigenous issues
- Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Kerrynne Liddle backs Senator Nampijinpa Price, saying they’re on a “unity ticket” to address worsening Closing the Gap targets
- The pair will use October’s Senate estimates to push the government to take action on Indigenous affairs, despite the government’s attempts to limit scrutiny
In a stunning display of unity, Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Kerrynne Liddle has thrown her support behind Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was dumped from the frontbench last week. Despite the controversy surrounding her resignation, Senator Nampijinpa Price has vowed to continue speaking out on Indigenous issues, and Senator Liddle says they’re on a “unity ticket” to address the worsening Closing the Gap targets.
Senator Nampijinpa Price had signalled her intention to continue speaking out on Indigenous affairs, citing the plight of those in remote communities, the ineffectiveness of bureaucracies, and the need to push back against activists who are ignoring the referendum outcome and the will of the Australian people.
Senator Liddle says she agrees with Senator Nampijinpa Price’s frustration with the discourse around Indigenous affairs, saying that people are focusing on issues that aren’t critical to people right now. “Right now, we have children not in schools but on the street. Right now, we have four Closing the Gap targets going in the wrong direction under this Labor government,” she said.
The latest update to Closing the Gap data shows rates of out-of-home care, suicide rates, incarceration rates, and developmental readiness for school are worsening. Senator Liddle says she’s looking forward to seeing Senator Nampijinpa Price back in parliament for the upcoming Senate estimates session in October, where they’ll push the government to take action on Indigenous affairs.
Senator Liddle denied that Senator Nampijinpa Price’s continued involvement could become a distraction to the Indigenous affairs portfolio, saying that she can continue to make a contribution not just in parliament, but in the area of Indigenous Australians affairs where she now is on the backbench.
“There’s a lot of work to do, certainly not just in the NT, but nationally on improving outcomes. We are on a unity ticket to addressing these terrible metrics,” Senator Liddle said. “I won’t be distracted from that and I’m sure that Senator Nampijinpa Price, given the issues in the NT, will not be distracted from that either.”
The government has confirmed three additional days of hearings have been added to the estimates schedule at the end of the year, but Senator Liddle says this is not enough to address the issues. “We’ve had a reduction in our capacity to ask questions on a single day about Indigenous Australians,” she said.
Senator Liddle says the Coalition policy development process is still underway, but her focus will be on addressing worsening targets under Closing the Gap and tackling domestic and family violence and child safety. “We will have policies, and the Coalition has been very clear about a policy process that we will work through,” she said.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has also shown her commitment to Indigenous affairs, recently visiting the Kimberley region to meet with Indigenous organisations. Senator Liddle says the Coalition will have policies in the Indigenous affairs space, and they’ll be focused on addressing the drivers that contribute to the worsening Closing the Gap targets.