Price Defends Switch to Liberals, Sidesteps Deputy Speculation

Jacinta Price says her move to Liberals is about strengthening the Coalition against a Labor government.

Elected member of the Alice Springs Council Jacinta Price at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 17, 2016. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

A day after her surprise defection from the Nationals to the Liberals, Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defended the move as a principled decision aimed at strengthening the Coalition—not a personal betrayal.

Her switch drew criticism from Nationals Senator Matt Canavan, who said the decision undermined voter trust.