Outspoken Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is being sued by the head of an Aboriginal land council over a press release claiming he has been discredited by suggesting he is unsuitable for the role.
A hearing of the case in the Federal Court is scheduled for seven days, starting from Monday, before Judge Michael Wheelahan in Darwin.
A statement of claim from Central Land Council CEO Lesley Turner says a press release from the senator in July 2024 wrongly suggested he no longer had the support of the majority of councillors.
It was wrongly reported that councilors had tabled a vote of no confidence against Mr Turner, the claim said.
The senator’s release implied that Mr Turner had “conducted such unprofessional conduct as to warrant his dismissal” and was “unfit to continue in the role of CEO”, according to the claim filed with the court.
The Northern Territory senator’s claims were published by NT News in an article entitled “Motion of no confidence against Lesley Turner defeated”, according to the claim.
The newspaper later publicly apologized to Mr. Turner and retracted the article.
In October 2024, Judge Wheelahan ordered Senator Price to pay $1,500 after her legal team failed to file her defense in time to attend a hearing on the defamation case.
Senator Price came to prominence in 2023 when he campaigned against a ‘yes’ vote ahead of the defeated referendum on whether an Indigenous voice would be allowed into Parliament.
She has long advocated for an audit of federally funded Indigenous organizations.
in September, Senator Price was sacked from her shadow portfolios of defense industry and defense personnel for suggesting the government favored Indian migrants because they voted Labour.
That prompted Liberal leader Sussan Ley to demand her resignation.
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