Chansey Paech

Chanston James "Chansey" Paech (pronounced "CHAN-see PAKE"; born 1987) is an Australian politician. He is a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Namatjira until 2020 and Electoral division of Gwoja thereafter. He is of Arrente, Arabana and Gurindji descent.

Early years

Paech grew up in Alice Springs. He is the son of an Eastern Arrernte woman and his father is a descendant of German immigrants.

Paech completed his secondary education at Anzac Hill High, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. He later studied at Charles Darwin University in the field of land management, conservation and horticulture production.

Career

Paech was elected to the Alice Springs Town Council in 2012. Paech has been a sound advocate for infrastructure investments, economic development opportunities and employment pathways that retain our people in the regional, remote and rural areas. Paech has a long-standing relationships with the Aboriginal community controlled sector in the Central Australian community. He is the great-grandson of legendary bushman Walter Smith. Paech is the only openly gay male MP in the NT Legislative Assembly; before entering politics, he was a prominent LGBT rights activist.

Politics

Paech was preselected as the Labor candidate for Namatjira for the 2016 Territory election. The seat's incumbent since 2005 (dating to when the seat was known as MacDonnell), independent Alison Anderson, was retiring after three terms. On paper, Paech faced daunting odds. The seat had a notional Country Liberal Party majority of 20.8 percent, and a redistribution had seemingly consolidated the CLP's hold on the seat by pushing it into Alice Springs. However, Anderson, who had served under four banners during her tenure (Labor, CLP, independent, Palmer United and independent again) endorsed Paech as her successor; she is a longtime indigenous activist, and retained substantial goodwill in the area. The ABC's Antony Green believed that Anderson's endorsement made Namatjira "a certain Labor gain."

Paech won the seat resoundingly, taking 59 percent of the two-party vote on a swing of over 29 percent, the second-largest swing of the election—enough to revert Namatjira to its traditional status as a safe Labor seat. He was subsequently made Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees.

Paech is the first openly gay indigenous MP in Australia. He gave his maiden parliamentary speech on 19 October 2016, in which he said he entered the chamber "eternally proud of who I am and where I come from ... I am young, I am gay, I am black; a true-blue Territorian. I am a proud face of the diversity and future of the great Australian Labor party." He added: "I look forward to the day when this country will recognise my rights as equal rights, when I too can marry in my country, on my country, as a recognised first Australian."

In June 2020, Paech was elected Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, replacing Kezia Purick who resigned after findings of corrupt conduct against her by the Northern Territory Independent Commissioner Against Corruption. He won the new seat of Gwoja at the 2020 Territory election. He resigned as Speaker in September 2020 to join the Gunner Ministry as Minister for Local Government; Minister for Central Australia Economic Reconstruction; Minister for Remote Housing and Town Camps; Minister for Indigenous Essential Services; and Minister for Arts and Culture.

Paech is a member of the Left faction of the Labor Party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paech, Chansey
Living people
Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Speakers of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian Labor Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Indigenous Australian politicians
Gay politicians
LGBT legislators in Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Charles Darwin University alumni
1987 births