The leader of an Aboriginal land council is suing Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price for defamation over claims she made in a media statement.
In documents tendered to the Federal Court, Central Land Council Chief Executive Lesley Turner claims he was defamed by a release published by Price on July 21, 2024, that had made its way into media across several states and territories.
Price’s statement, which has since been removed from her website, claimed a majority of land council members had shown support for dismissing Turner as CEO.
Price claimed a motion against Turner as CEO had been moved by a member of the Central Land Council, but Turner denies that any motion was ever lodged against his leadership.
“At the end of the day, it is the most marginalised Indigenous Australians who suffer when Aboriginal organisations are not held to a proper standard,” she said in the statement.
The Liberal senator accused the current Albanese leadership of turning a blind eye to issues within Indigenous groups.
Turner says he was defamed because Price implied he had behaved unprofessionally, making his dismissal warranted; no longer had majority support due to claimed unprofessional behaviour; and that he was unfit to fulfil his CEO role.
“By reason of the publication of the ‘first media release,’ the applicant has been seriously injured in his character and in his personal and professional reputation and has suffered and will continue to suffer hurt and embarrassment and loss and damage,” Turner’s State of Claim says.
“The applicant’s hurt has been aggravated by the conduct of the respondent which has been improper, unjustified or lacking in bona fides.”
Turner said he had not been given a right to reply by Price to respond to the claims, and she did not make contact to check if her allegations were correct.
He also claimed Price had intended to damage his reputation by the release being published in the mass media and that she ignored him when he sent her a “concerns notice” on July 29.
In another instance, Turner alleges that Price wrongfully claimed he had ordered three female elders to leave a session of the council meeting on July 18, 2024.
Turner said this was incorrect and noted the NT News had published an apology for the “incorrect” report on the claims around a motion against him.
Turner claims Price has not apologised or retracted her statements.
Price’s office was contacted for comment.
The case will be heard over seven days before Justice Michael Wheelahan in Darwin.
