Jacinta Price ready to turn her back on the Town Council

10
2637

2529 Turnbull, Price OKBy ERWIN CHLANDA
 
Jacinta Price has breached her Town Council commitment of serving a full term by accepting preselection yesterday as the CLP candidate for the Federal seat of Lingiari.
 
As the Federal election has to be held on or before November 2 next year, the council may have to hold a by-election – at a cost of around $100,000 – should Ms Price be successful in the Federal poll.
 
In any case she will have to absent herself from Town Council duties once the Federal election is called.
 
The Alice Springs News Online asked Ms Price on September 12 last year about rumours that she had political ambitions other than the town council, and might resign before the end of the term.
 
She said: “I am absolutely committed to serving Alice Springs on Council for at least the next four years. There is much work to be done and I look forward to it.”
 
A party media release describes Ms Price as “a proud Warlpiri and Irish Celtic woman, mother of four, a celebrated singer and an advocate for the rights of women and children in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities”.
 
Lingiari is held by Labor’s Warren Snowdon who is understood to be standing again.
 
Federal Indigenous affairs minister, Senator Nigel Scullion, is again in the first position on the party’s Senate ticket.
 
The Territory’s two Senate seats have always gone to the CLP, sitting with the Nationals, and the Labor Party, respectively.
 
This makes it unlikely that the CLP’s second Senate candidate, Alice Springs electrician Joshua Burgoyne, will be elected.
 
He is “passionate about delivering better services and infrastructure for all Centralians, particularly for remote communities and young people,” says the party’s media release.
 
Mr Burgoyne unsuccessfully stood for the town council last year, backed by Mayor Damien Ryan, whose son-in-law he was due to become. This led to tongue-in-cheek speculation that a Donald Trump style family dynasty was in the making.
 
The party preselected for the seat of Solomon – mostly Darwin and Palmerston – Kathryn Ganley, described by the release as a “third Generation Territorian who has extensive experience across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors who has fought hard for Territorians, especially Territory woman and children”.
 
We are inviting Ms Price to comment. She is pictured on Twitter with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
 
 
 

10 COMMENTS

  1. You are a perfect candidate for the feds Jacinta: They never keep their promises.
    Cr Price quashed rumours that she has political ambitions other than the town council, and may resign before the end of the term.
    She said: “I am absolutely committed to serving Alice Springs on Council for at least the next four years. There is much work to be done and I look forward to it.”
    It is exactly what you said to me the day of the “hot sand challenge” when we were soaking our feet in cold water, which is not so long ago. I have to add, you have lost my respect.

  2. It will be an easy choice for Centralians at the next Federal election: Country Liberal Party / National Party (whatever they are that week) are pro fracking and Labor Federally are pro fracking.
    If you want fracking to proceed vote for the CLP / National / Labor Party candidates and nothing will change for Aborigines.
    Federal funding of the NT, airline cabotage, beef roads, mobile coverage, health or education for Territorians – what’s changed since the last election?
    Jacinta has proved the value of her word, just like every other federal CLP / Labor politician before her.

  3. I think that unless Jacinta has specifically stated her intention to resign from council, you’re jumping the gun somewhat early here, Erwin.
    I can’t see in the Local Government Act anything specifically disqualifying an elected council member due to their preselection or election for either NT or Federal Parliament.
    The only mention of this is a clause allowing a member to resign for the purposes of running in an election and rejoin council if they are unsuccessful.

  4. Life, your goals, your communities demands, your commitments, are effected by the passage of events around you. They can and often do change from day to day, let alone from year to year.
    Movement from Council to either State or Federal roles is and always has been a natural progression. Yes, it has a cost, that cost is the price of democracy!
    After rising to prominence as an Councillor and activist Jacinta has been asked, even pressured by many around her, to take her obvious talent in advocacy and use it to better present the Territory’s cause in Canberra.
    That decision, that civic duty asked of Jacinta is a decision reached in conference with many people.
    It’s not a personnel whim, it is not a betrayal or a lie, for pity’s sake! It’s actually an extension of Jacinta’s commitment to the Alice, Central Australia and the Territory! It’s not a joy ride at our expense! It’s an enormous commitment made on our behalf.
    How many of you who sit on your proverbials on the sidelines of everything and criticize, have any idea of the enormous work load, the upheaval, not only for Jacinta but her entire family this commitment represents?
    Please don’t do the small town petty envy thing and pull down the local star, the rising talent.
    We are better than that aren’t we? Recognise, as the party and her peers have, that Jacinta her talents, her family origins having a foot in both worlds represents a unique chance for change.
    A chance of a better quality of life for may Territorians.
    Get behind her and the revolution in attitudes she represents.
    Jacinta is the hand in the face of the status quo, if we get behind her in sufficient numbers, with dedication and commitment, Jacinta and those around her present a rare chance for a big leap forward in who we are and how we live in the Territory.
    Congratulations, Jacinta!

  5. I agree Steve, but she should not have been adamant in her intentions to be absolutely committed to serving Alice Springs on Council for at least the next four year. She could have simply said: “Who knows what the future holds.”
    Her attentions will be on Federal issues not on local issues and this is wrong in my view.

  6. @ Daniel Davis: If Cr Price wants to remain on council as well as being the Federal Member in Canberra then she will need to come clean with her electorate, currently the ratepayers of Alice Springs.
    When we first raised the issue with her in September last year it was clearly in the context of either – or: Councillor or another political role.
    We raised the matter with her again in February this year, when she announced her intention to seek preselection by the CLP for Lingiari. We specifically asked her to state whether she would expose the council to the cost of about $100,000 for a by-election. She refused to reply.
    ERWIN CHLANDA, Editor

  7. Well said Steve Brown, go for it Jacinta, your values and commitment are truly what we need. The progression of the Northern Territory as one people will improve the lives of all.

  8. Erwin, come clean on what? Your assumption that Jacinta must resign could very well be incorrect.
    Certainly the only argument to exclude someone from serving concurrently as a councillor and federal politician it seems, is whether being the position of councillor amounts to an “office of profit under the crown”.
    Recently the High Court found that being a member of local government in Tasmania did not amount to holding an “office of profit under the crown”. (Case C17/2017).

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here