Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defends her calls for the dismissal of Lesley Turner as Central Land Council chief executive, citing 'substantial truth' in a media release that prompted the ongoing defamation battle.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has defended her calls for Lesley Turner 's dismissal as Central Land Council chief executive, stating that there was 'substantial truth' to a media release issued by her office that advocated for Mr. Turner's removal. This defense comes amidst an ongoing defamation battle in the Federal Court initiated by Mr. Turner last year. Mr. Turner alleges that the release falsely reported a no-confidence motion against him within the land council.
The controversy stems from a media release published by Senator Price's office in July, which quoted then-CLC chair Matthew Palmer as saying a majority of Central Land Council members supported Mr. Turner's dismissal due to unprofessional conduct. This release was subsequently republished in the Murdoch-owned NT News, but the articles were later removed, and the paper issued an apology to Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner's statement of claim asserts that the publication of the release resulted in serious damage to his character, personal and professional reputation, and caused him hurt, embarrassment, and financial loss.Senator Price has since removed the release from her website but has not issued a retraction or apology. In her defense filed in the Federal Court, Senator Price argued that the release contained 'substantial truth' and that Mr. Turner's conduct warranted his dismissal. She cited an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) finding that a CLC fraud policy approved by Mr. Turner in 2021 was 'not fully effective' and that he failed to ensure a fraud risk assessment was conducted by the organization in the two years following its implementation. Senator Price also alleged that Mr. Turner ceased consulting with Mr. Palmer while he was still chair, traveled to Canberra for meetings concerning the CLC without informing the then-chair, and presented a 'governance matter' regarding Mr. Palmer without a 'legitimate or proper basis'.In response to these claims, Mr. Turner, represented by high-profile defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC, argued that Senator Price could not rely on information provided by Mr. Palmer since she should have been aware that Mr. Palmer had been removed as chair. He further stated that the ANAO audit findings regarding the CLC fraud policy he endorsed did not constitute 'unprofessional conduct'. Mr. Turner also alleged that Senator Price's motivation for publishing the media release was 'malice' with the aim of harming his reputation. The matter is scheduled to return to the Federal Court for a case management hearing in March.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price Lesley Turner Central Land Council Defamation Federal Court Aboriginal Land Rights
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