Senator Malarndirri McCarthy is a Yanyuwa & Garawa woman from the Gulf country in the Northern Territory.

She first entered the public sphere as a journalist with the ABC and more recently for SBS/NITV.

Senator McCarthy was elected to the Northern Territory Assembly as the Member for Arnhem in 2005. During her seven years in the Assembly, she held the Ministerial Portfolios of Local Government, Regional Development, Indigenous Development, Tourism, Women’s Policy and Statehood.

She was elected as Senator for the Northern Territory (including Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands) in August 2016. Her experiences bring unique perspectives to the role of Labor Senator for the NT, a familiarity with the challenges and opportunities facing Territorians, and the perseverance and determination to drive change.

Ms McCarthy’s focus is to bring communities together and ensure remote communities are engaged with and listened to on a national level.