Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has announced her candidacy for deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
Senator Price made the announcement on Sunday as she officially endorsed Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor for party leader.
‘There is no question that returning to our roots as a party is critical right now,’ she said.
‘If we want to inspire and empower Australians across our country, we must return to these roots – these basic values – that define who we are as a party.
‘We must once more remember and fight for the forgotten people, those on whose shoulders Australian society has been built and still depends. These are the mainstream Australians who have a big contribution to make.’
Senator Price said she was inspired to go into politics because of her grandparents.
‘I think of my grandparents, who were by no means the elite, building their first home by hand with hessian bags and washing their clothes in the creek in Warners Bay, NSW,’ she said.
‘But they saw a spark, a vision of a brighter future for generations to come. My Warlpiri grandparents caught the vision and transitioned from nomadic desert life into community life during the emergence of a modern Australia.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has announced her candidacy for deputy leader of the Liberal Party
‘They were the original Aussie battlers – the forgotten people.
‘Their courage to grab hold of aspiration with both hands has paved the way for a desert kid like me to put my hand up to lead.
‘Like my grandparents, I too see a spark. I see a brighter future for generations to come. I want others to see this future for themselves.
‘That’s what my candidacy for deputy leader is all about – a brighter future not just for the Liberal Party, but for all Australians.’
Senator Price announced on Thursday she had left the Nationals to join the Liberals.
‘I am eager to fight for the best interests of all Australians as part of the Coalition,’ she said in a statement.
‘I believe I will be more effective in this regard if I am a member of the Liberal Party, especially as the party faces a significant rebuild after Saturday.
‘A rebuild I feel obliged to play a robust part in.
Senator Price made the announcement on Sunday as she officially endorsed Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor for party leader
‘I want to bring back our core values of liberty, individual freedom and responsibility, the rule of law, free market and economic prosperity, minimal government intervention, a fair go and, most of all, love for our nation, Australia.’
Senator Price is a member of the Country Liberal Party and is entitled to select her party room in Canberra.
During her first term from 2022 to 2025 she chose the Nationals.
Senator Price became the face of the No campaign against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and became a favourite in the party’s conservative wing.
Earlier in the election campaign, many Aussies said Senator Price had leadership potential after she shared her perspective on the Australia Day debate.
‘Our country is strongest when we stand together,’ she wrote in an opinion piece.
‘As my Indigenous heritage taught me, we all belong to this place equally. Regardless of race or heritage, your conception on this land means you belong to it.
‘Everyone gets the opportunity to pitch in to this place we call home, and gets the loyalty of mateship in faithful return.’
