Malarndirri McCarthy to nominate for Nova Peris' Senate seat

Former NITV journalist and Yanyuwa woman Malarndirri McCarthy has announced she will nominate for Labor’s Northern Territory Senate seat.

Malarndirri McCarthy

Malarndirri McCarthy. Source: NITV News

Former Northern Territory government minister Malarndirri McCarthy has announced she will nominate for the Northern Territory Labor Senate spot.

The announcement came after current senator Nova Peris revealed she would not run in the 2016 federal election.
Ms McCarthy – who has worked as a journalist for NITV, SBS and the ABC – thanked her supporters in a statement on her Facebook page, and wished the best for Ms Peris in her future endeavours.

"It was a privilege to cover the historic occasion of Nova and her family on her entry as the first Indigenous woman into Federal Parliament," she wrote.

"As a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola in the Gulf country, I am deeply humbled to be invited by the ALP to nominate and will respect the internal process of the NT and Federal ALP in deciding who they choose to represent the NT in the Senate."

Marion Scrymgour, former chief minister in the NT government, is also a candidate for Ms Peris' seat.
Ms McCarthy was elected to the seat of seat of Arnhem in 2005 and held the seat until 2012.

Labor currently has three Indigenous candidates in the election: Linda Burney for the Sydney seat of Barton, Tammy Solonec and Carol Martin for the Western Australian seats of Swan and Durack.

If elected, they will join Liberal Senator Jo Lindgren and Lower House MP Ken Wyatt - the first Indigenous person to enter the House of Representatives - as well as Senior Yawuru leader Pat Dodson.

- With NITV

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Published 25 May 2016 9:45am
Updated 25 May 2016 11:01am
By SBS News
Source: SBS


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