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The head of an Aboriginal land council has accused Jacinta Nampijinpa Price of issuing an “unfair” and “hurtful” press release that falsely suggested he had lost the support of most of his members.
Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner is suing for defamation in the Federal Court after the Liberal senator said he had faced an unsuccessful no confidence motion at a meeting in the Northern Territory last year.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price arrives at the Federal Court in Darwin for her defamation trial.Credit: David Hancock
Turner says Price had amplified an incorrect claim made by the land council’s then chair, Matthew Palmer, and that she had failed to fact-check the press release she sent to nearly 2000 journalists.
Price, who has dropped her truth and honest opinion defences, is seeking to rely on qualified privilege, which requires her to show she was acting in the public interest.
Turner last year addressed his executive committee about the impact of Palmer and Price’s claims.
“I spoke about my professional and personal life and how I felt and how hurt I was,” Turner told the court, saying he had experienced nothing like it in his 50 years in the public service.
Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner says Senator Price acted unfairly and caused hurt with her press release.Credit: David Hancock
“I think I talked about it being promulgated by Senator Price,” he said, claiming her press release, which followed one issued by Palmer, had escalated the issue. “Which was unfair. And hurtful.”
Turner was cross-examined about a report by the Australian National Audit Office, which identified failures by the land council to implement a fraud risk assessment and management plan.
In an affidavit, Turner said the audit office had found there was room for improvement.
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But he said was “disgusted” by the senator’s use of the audit office’s findings around fraud to justify her remarks about his “unprofessional conduct”, saying she was “clutching at straws”.
Price’s barrister, Peter Gray SC, said his client was correct to have pointed out the findings about fraud risk management.
“I suggest to you that you were not ‘disgusted’ by what Senator Price was saying but rather you were embarrassed by the failures of the CLC on your watch that she was pointing out,” Gray said.
“No, I disagree,” Turner replied. The chief executive stood by another part of his affidavit, in which he labelled Price’s criticisms of traditional owner assessments as “ill-informed, baseless and offensive”.
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Turner said he had never met Price or her mother, the former NT politician Bess Price, who had a dispute with the land council over traditional ownership before his time in the top job.
Earlier on Thursday, the court heard from Turner’s partner, Catherine Vandermark, who said the news of the supposed no confidence motion had “appalled” him.
“Because he felt quite strongly that as an elected representative, you have a duty to tell the truth, and that what Senator Price had said was not true,” Vandermark said.
Price has raised $320,000 in donations, including from Gina Rinehart’s mining company, to fund her defence and says if she loses, bankruptcy could force from parliament.
Turner’s evidence is set to continue on Friday.
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