From her upbringing in the Northern Territory bush to one of the most important political roles in the nation, it's been a long road for Malarndirri McCarthy. Before her rise to the federal frontbench, the newly announced Minister for Indigenous Australians was known as a trailblazing journalist and territory politician.
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00:00The ABC is proud to bring you this spectacular event.
00:06In the public eye since she was 17, former journalist Malindiri McCarthy was known for
00:11asking the tough questions.
00:12Minister, can you explain why it's taken so long?
00:15She was one of the original Aboriginal journalists that gave the women the courage to go into
00:22that industry, go into the media industry, not be scared.
00:27Growing up in the remote Northern Territory town of Borrolula, Senator McCarthy's family
00:32says she's always intuitively known what to do for her people.
00:35Yeah, love for everybody and family and friends and from growing up, even alongside with her,
00:42she's got that talent, that way you can work and help these people.
00:50Hello and welcome to Stateline.
00:52The Yanyua Garawa woman spent 16 years as an ABC journalist.
00:56And I commend the people of Nooka.
00:58Before stepping into the arena of NT politics in 2005.
01:02For her, it's about engaging Indigenous disadvantaged and making sure that public policy was, that
01:13Aboriginal people were involved in that policy making stuff.
01:16Elected to federal parliament in 2016, the Senator's been outspoken on the issues affecting
01:22remote Aboriginal Australia.
01:24You know that alcohol is a scourge and you also know that domestic violence is rife.
01:29Having served the first two years of Labor's term as assistant minister, she also played
01:37a prominent public role in the failed Yes campaign for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait
01:42Islander voice to parliament.
01:44With Senator McCarthy's promotion for the first time in history, the Minister for Indigenous
01:49Australians and her shadow counterpart in the coalition are Aboriginal women from the
01:54territory, both with the lived experience to try to make real change.