Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s shift to Liberals bolsters Angus Taylor’s leadership campaign

The Coalition’s star Indigenous MP, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, switched from the Nationals to the Liberal Party on Thursday and may stand as the deputy to fellow conservative Angus Taylor, who is running for leader of the Opposition.

Party sources said Senator Price had been considering the move for months and may have timed the swap to staunch the momentum that appeared to be building for acting leader Sussan Ley to be elected the party’s first female leader.

Asked on Sky News if she intended to stand for a leadership position, Senator Price said: “This has been a massive step. I will not put any limitations on myself.”

In theory Ms Ley could offer Senator Price a senior job, too, such as leader or deputy leader of the Coalition in the Senate.

Mr Taylor is also pursuing newly re-elected Melbourne MP Tim Wilson. The only Coalition MP who has defeated a “teal” independent, Mr Wilson has told colleagues that he would rather stay on the backbench, where he could speak freely on policy, rather than take a junior frontbench role, such as a parliamentary secretary.

A joint ticket led by Mr Taylor and Senator Price could elevate an Indigenous Australian to the upper reaches of politics for the first time, but carry risks for the opposition.

The Indigenous affairs spokeswoman has never been a minister. Her promise during the campaign to “Make Australia Great Again” was seen by colleagues as a major blunder because it associated the Coalition with US President Donald Trump, who many Australians regard as a threat to the global order.

Conservative Liberals were delighted at what they saw as a coup of winning over one of the most popular figures inside the party. Others were less certain, saying they were concerned about the senator’s grasp of policy and appeal to non-conservative voters.

“It gets Angus one more vote in the party room,” said one. “It might cost him two or three others.”

The Nationals’ Federal leader, David Littleproud, expressed disappointment at the senator’s decision to end her affiliation with his party. MPs from the Northern Territory party are free to become members of the Liberal or National groupings of MPs, known as party rooms.

“I appreciate Senator Nampijinpa Price has ambition that extends beyond the possibilities of the Nationals and I wish her well,” Mr Littleproud said.

“The Liberals will need to rebuild after Saturday’s election and Senator Nampijinpa Price will play a key role in that recovery.”

Deputy competition

None of the leadership candidates have confirmed they will stand, giving them room to drop out before the vote, which is expected next week. Senator Price said she wanted to play a “robust” part in rebuilding the party.

“I believe I will be more effective in this regard if I am a member of the Liberal Party,” she said.

Senator Price may have to compete with women with more parliamentary experience such as education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson and communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh, both of whom Liberal MPs say have expressed interest in running for deputy leader.

Party sources said Ms Ley had won over some MPs by offering promotions, a claim vigorously denied by those allegedly offered jobs.

While Mr Taylor’s conservative faction has the most members, it does not have a majority, and Mr Taylor has been criticised for the Coalition’s failure to win the economic debate against the Government during the campaign.

Ms Ley, a member of the centre-right faction, has also been accused of failing to prevent the campaign from making several mistakes during the election.

NSW intervention

The vote is expected to be held next week, once all seats are decided.

The outcome is likely to have a big impact on the NSW division of the party, where the constitution has been suspended and administrators appointed by the Federal party.

The intervention was due to finish at the end of June. Lead administrator Alan Stockdale, a former Victorian treasurer, was likely to request another nine months in the job to oversee the writing of a new constitution, party sources said.

Some senior party members resent the intervention and want to retake control of the division.

A decision is expected at the next meeting of the Federal executive, which will be held after the party leader is chosen.

That person’s view on what to do with NSW could determine the outcome, according to a person familiar with the process.