{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Chansey Paech | honorific_suffix = MLA | image = File:Chansey_Paech.jpg | alt = | caption = | office = 20th Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory | term_start = 21 December 2023 | term_end = 28 August 2024 | 1blankname = Chief Minister | 1namedata = Eva Lawler | predecessor = Nicole Manison | successor = Gerard Maley | office1 = Attorney-General of the Northern Territory | term_start1 = 23 May 2022 | term_end1 = 28 August 2024 | 2blankname1 = Chief Minister | 2namedata1 = Natasha Fyles <br> Eva Lawler | deputy1 = | predecessor1 = Selena Uibo | successor1 = Gerard Maley | office2 = 12th Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly | term_start2 = 23 June 2020 | term_end2 = 7 September 2020 | predecessor2 = Kezia Purick | successor2 = Ngaree Ah Kit | constituency_AM3 = Gwoja | assembly3 = Northern Territory Legislative | majority3 = | term_start3 = 22 August 2020 | term_end3 = | predecessor3 = ''New seat'' | successor3 = | constituency_AM4 = Namatjira | assembly4 = Northern Territory Legislative | majority4 = | term_start4 = 27 August 2016 | term_end4 = 22 August 2020 | predecessor4 = Alison Anderson | successor4 = Bill Yan | birth_date = November 1987 | birth_place = Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|df=yes|Month DD, YYYY|Month DD, YYYY}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = Chanston James Paech | citizenship = | party = Labor Party | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = }} '''Chanston James''' "'''Chansey'''" '''Paech''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|æ|n|z|i|_|p|eɪ|k}}, {{respell|CHAN|zee|_|PAYK}}; 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 Gwoja thereafter. He is of Arrente, Arabana and Gurindji descent.<ref name="sbs">{{cite news |last=Winsor |first=Ben |date=25 October 2016 |title=Chansey Paech is Australia's first gay, Indigenous parliamentarian |work=Special Broadcasting Service |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/agenda/article/2016/09/07/chansey-paech-australias-first-gay-indigenous-parliamentarian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024144609/http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/agenda/article/2016/09/07/chansey-paech-australias-first-gay-indigenous-parliamentarian |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 October 2016 |access-date=6 May 2017 }}</ref>
== Early life and education == Chanston James Paech was born in 1987 in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia. His mother is Aboriginal, of the Arrernte and Gurindji peoples, and his father of German descent.<ref name=sbsnitv>{{cite news |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/10/19/full-text-chansey-paechs-maiden-speech-parliament |title=Full Text: Chansey Paech's maiden speech to parliament |last=Winsor |first=Ben |work=Special Broadcasting Service |date=19 October 2016 |access-date=6 May 2017}}</ref>
He is the great-great-grandson of Central Australian pioneer, Topsy Smith, and the great-great nephew of bushman Walter Smith.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 August 2002 |title=Walking Through Time: The Ghans Return . |agency=Alice Springs News |url=http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/0928.html |accessdate=3 January 2017}}</ref> Paech is the only openly gay male MP in the NT Legislative Assembly, and before entering politics, he was a prominent LGBT rights activist.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}
Paech was educated in Alice Springs and participated in many youth programs, including the inaugural National Indigenous Youth Parliament.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} He went on to study at Charles Darwin University in the fields of environmental and land management, conservation, and horticulture.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
==Early career== Paech was elected to the Alice Springs Town Council in 2012 and served until entering the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 2016. .<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brash |first1=Stewart |date=31 March 2012 |title=Damien Ryan re-elected as Alice Springs Mayor |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |agency=ABC Alice Springs |url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/31/3468067.htm |accessdate=28 August 2016}}</ref>
He also served as a Director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and as Deputy Chair of the Institute for Aboriginal Development, working alongside prominent Aboriginal activist Pat Turner.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Turner_(Aboriginal_activist)</ref>
== Policies == ===Justice=== Paech was sworn in as the Northern Territory Attorney General in May 2022 and committed to overhauling the Northern Territory's Justice and Correctional systems, in October 2022 Paech introduced a suite of laws raising the age of criminal responsibility and reforming adult mandatory sentencing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-10-12 |title='Watershed moment': Northern Territory raises age of criminal responsibility |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/nt-to-raise-age-of-criminal-responsibility-mandatory-sentencing/101529286 |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref>
Paech also introduced a suite of amendments to the Northern Territory's anti-discrimination laws to give better protections for vulnerable people and minority groups.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-22 |title=NT passes new anti-discrimination laws after hours of debate and amid fierce criticism |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-23/anti-discrimination-amendments-bill-passed-by-nt-parliament/101686598 |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref>
In February 2022, Paech, having responsibility for the Northern Territory's sacred sites legislation, tabled a decision in Northern Territory parliament to reject an application to expand the controversial McArthur River mine.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kurmelovs |first1=Royce |last2=Allam |first2=Lorena |date=2022-02-16 |title=NT government rejects Glencore bid to build toxic dump near sacred site |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/16/nt-government-rejects-glencore-bid-to-build-toxic-dump-near-sacred-site |access-date=2023-03-07 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
===Housing=== In the Gunner Ministry Paech was sworn in as the Minister for Remote Housing, Homelands and Town Camps. He opposed the federal Morrison Government for failures to deliver remote housing on homelands and town camps.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-03 |title=Homelands residents living in tents while governments haggle over responsibility for new houses |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-04/nt-asks-federal-government-for-remote-housing-money/100509386 |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref>
=== Views === Paech has condemned the Northern Territory Emergency Response, commonly known as the Intervention, and the succeeding Stronger Futures policy.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Legacy of bad policy': Race-based policies taken off the table |url=https://www.ntnews.com.au/subscribe/news/1/|url-access =subscription |website =NT News }}</ref>
==Politics== {{NT parlbox header}} {{NT parlbox|term=13th|start={{NT election link|2016}}|end=2020|party=Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)|electorate=Namatjira}} {{NT parlbox|term=14th|start={{NT election link|2020}}|end=present|party=Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)|electorate=Gwoja}} |} 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.<ref name=Namatjira>{{cite web|title=Electorate: Namatjira|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nt-election-2016/guide/nama/|website=ABC News|accessdate=28 August 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-11/clp-facing-uphill-battle-in-bush-electorates/7719222 | title=NT election: CLP facing uphill battle in bush electorates | work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=11 August 2016 | accessdate=12 August 2016 | author=Bardon, Jane}}</ref> The ABC's election analyst Antony Green believed that Anderson's endorsement made Namatjira "a certain Labor gain."<ref>Green, Antony. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nt-election-2016/guide/preview/ NT election preview]. ABC News, 2016-08-08.</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nt.gov.au/lant/members-of-parliament/List_of_Members.pdf | title=List of Members | accessdate=18 March 2017}}</ref>
Paech is the first openly gay Indigenous MP in Australia.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/allanclarke/meet-out-first-gay-aboriginal-politician | title=Meet The First Gay Aboriginal Politician Elected To An Australian Parliament | work=Buzzfeed | date=5 September 2016 | accessdate=5 September 2016}}</ref> 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."<ref name = maiden /> 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."<ref name = maiden>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/oct/19/i-am-young-i-am-gay-i-am-black-says-chansey-paech-to-nt-parliament |title = 'I am young, I am gay, I am black,' says Chansey Paech to NT parliament|first = Helen|last = Davidson|newspaper = Guardian Australia|date = 19 October 2016|accessdate = 20 October 2016}}</ref><ref name=sbsnitv />
In June 2020, Paech was elected Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, making him the first Aboriginal and openly gay speaker of an Australian Parliament,<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-25/nt-mla-chansey-paech-elected-first-indigenous-speaker/12387438 Australians first Aboriginal and openly gay speaker of an Australian Parliament]</ref> replacing Kezia Purick, who resigned after findings of corrupt conduct against her by the Northern Territory Independent Commissioner Against Corruption. Ahead of the 2020 Territory election, a redistribution erased Paech's majority in Namatjira and made it a notional CLP seat. Paech believed this made Namatjira impossible to hold and ran for re-election in neighbouring Gwoja, winning easily.<ref name="speaker">{{cite news |title=Chansey Paech elected first Indigenous Speaker of an Australian Parliament |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-25/nt-mla-chansey-paech-elected-first-indigenous-speaker/12387438 |accessdate=21 July 2020 |work=ABC News |date=24 June 2020 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
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.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
In May 2022, Paech was sworn in as the Northern Territory Attorney General; Leader of Government Business; Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing; Minister for Arts and Culture and Minister for Local Government<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-23 |title=Winners and losers as Natasha Fyles reveals her first Northern Territory cabinet |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-23/northern-territory-fyles-ministry-cabinet/101090576 |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref> in the Fyles Ministry.
Paech is a member of the Labor Party's Left faction.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nt}} {{s-bef | before = Alison Anderson }} {{s-ttl | title = Member for Namatjira | years = 2016–2020 }} {{s-aft | after = Bill Yan }} {{s-new|seat }} {{s-ttl | title = Member for Gwoja | years = 2020–present }} {{s-inc}} {{s-bef | before = Kezia Purick }} {{s-ttl | title = Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly | years = 2020 - 2020 }} {{s-aft | after = Ngaree Ah Kit }} {{s-end}}
{{Northern Territory Cabinet}} {{NTCurrentMPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paech, Chansey}} Category:Living people Category:Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Category:Speakers of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Category:Indigenous Australian politicians Category:Australian gay politicians Category:LGBTQ legislators in Australia Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Charles Darwin University alumni Category:1987 births Category:Attorneys-general of the Northern Territory