Bess Price Asks Political Colleagues How it Feels to Not Understand, During Call to Allow Aboriginal Languages

An Aboriginal Northern Territory politician has asked her colleagues how it feels to not understand another language, in a speech calling for changes to allow her to speak her native tongue in Parliament.

During Wednesday’s sitting of the Parliament in Darwin, Minister Bess Nungarrayi Price said she wanted standing orders amended to allow parliamentarians to speak in any language, as long as it was immediately translated into English.

Ms Price, who was born in the central Australian Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, speaks her first language of Warlpiri, as well as Luritja, Western Arrernte, Anmatyerre and English.

Late last year, Ms Price received a warning for interjecting in Parliament, after responding to an opposition MLA in Warlpiri.

NT Speaker of the House Kezia Purick told Ms Price at the time “the language of the assembly is English”.

“Should a member use a language other than English without the leave of the assembly it will be ruled disorderly and the member will be required to withdraw the words,” Ms Purick said in December, after receiving complaints from Labor MPs about Ms Price’s Warlpiri interjection.

During last night’s sitting, Ms Price referred to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s February Closing the Gap speech, during which he spoke in an Aboriginal language, and questioned her colleagues on “how it felt not to understand?”

“The PM used a language that nobody now speaks as a first language and was praised for it,” Ms Price said.

“I spoke a language that still lives and is spoken as a first language by thousands in Northern Territory. It was assumed I was offensive. I was misunderstood.”

“How did it feel not to understand? You get a tiny taste of what is is often like for us.”

But Ms Purick said Ms Price had been “mischievous” in raising the matter months after it occurred.

She said parliamentarians can already speak other languages if the proper process is followed and the issue was about interjection.

“Somehow it’s morphed into this national issue focused on the NT Parliament, saying that we don’t let people in this Parliament speak in another language, and that is not correct,” Ms Purick said.

Parliament has passed a motion to refer Ms Price’s proposed changes to the Standing Orders Committee.