A former Country Liberal Party front bencher, Roger “Stainless” Steele, says it’s likely that NT Senator Jacinta Price “could contribute even more to the North of Australia from a seat in the House of Representatives.

“The resignation of Scott Morrison from Federal Parliament offers an excellent opportunity for the Coalition,” he says.

Mr Steele, after working as a drover, camp cook and cattle station manager for 17 years, served as a Member of the NT Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1987, representing Ludmilla until 1983 and Elsey after that.

His ministerial responsibilities included transport, industry and primary production. He is part of a small group of early CLP figures, including Paul Everingham and Shane Stone, continuing to influence national Coalition politics.

Mr Steele says Senator Price’s redeployment “at first sight would seem to be a substantial loss to the NT” but it would enable her to deal with a “significant division in mutual understanding, views, attitudes and priorities” between Australians living in regional areas and those in the cities, particularly the inner cities.

“The rapidly escalating problems associated with social breakdown amongst Aboriginal people in rural and regional Australia” could be tackled by Ms Price, Mr Steele writes in a statement to the Alice Springs News.

“This is an area that is rapidly worsening and the Labor Party has little idea on the policies that should be adopted to overcome this major issue.”

Mr Steele says a movement of Ms Price from the Senate to the “Reps” would be “a wonderful opportunity” for the Coalition to elect another Senator for the NT.

Senator Price did not respond to related questions put to her by the [Alice Springs] News yesterday.

This article appeared on Alice Springs News on 29 January 2024.
Note Mr Steele’s response to comments at Alice Springs News.