Nova Peris appointment highlights Labor's flawed processes

The decision by Prime Minister Gillard to parachute in Nova Peris as the Labor Party’s number one Senate candidate in the Northern Territory reflects poorly on the Labor Party – and emphasises what a poor job Labor has done in drawing on the talent and capacities of indigenous Australians as parliamentarians.

In saying this I make no criticism of Nova Peris, who is widely respected as a highly successful sportswoman and an articulate and capable Australian.But the Prime Minister’s decision is effectively a concession that to get an indigenous Australian into the federal Parliamentary Labor Party you need to override the party’s normal preselection processes.

By contrast, when the first indigenous Senator, Neville Bonner, came into the Parliament, he did so after being preselected in the usual way – through an open, competitive process – by the Liberal Party in Queensland.

Similarly, when the first indigenous member of the House of Representatives, Ken Wyatt, came into the Parliament, he did so after being preselected in the usual way by the Liberal Party in Western Australia.

So too, at the recent Northern Territory elections, were a number of indigenous Australians elected as members of the Country Liberals.

The Labor Party is very much given to using special interventions by the national executive, usually at the behest of the leader of the day, to bring in star candidates.  They did it with Peter Garrett and now they are doing it with Nova Peris.

By contrast, in the Liberal Party our star candidates need to win on their merits in an open, competitive preselection process.  Former tennis star John Alexander came into the Parliament that way - and so did Ken Wyatt.

As a Liberal, I am proud that the first indigenous Australian in our federal Parliament was a Liberal and the first indigenous Australian in the House of Representatives is a Liberal.  I am also proud of the members of our Party who made the decision to preselect Neville Bonner and to preselect Ken Wyatt.  It is puzzling that the Labor Party has not found itself able, similarly, across all of the seats it holds in the Senate and the House of Representatives, to choose even one indigenous Australian through its ordinary internal processes.