One Nation MP secures role after planned motion around Aboriginal deaths in custody
Coalition MPs have helped install One Nation MP Rod Roberts to the coveted position of assistant president of the Legislative Council, entitling him to an extra $57,525 per year on top of his base salary of $169,192.
In a surprise outcome, Mr Roberts secured the position by one vote after two rounds of voting, despite the Liberals initially backing Christian Democrat Fred Nile.
NSW One Nation MP Rod Roberts, left, with party leader Mark Latham. Credit:David Cole
Mr Roberts, a former NSW police officer from Goulburn, was promoted after he told the upper house on Tuesday of his planned motion around Aboriginal deaths in custody, urging the chamber to note that "the truth matters".
"[I]n NSW between 1995 and 2019, there were 923 deaths is custody, including 112 deaths of Aboriginal persons," the motion says.
"Only 12 per cent of deaths in custody between 1995 and 2019 are attributed to Aboriginal persons."
The motion is due to be debated on Wednesday.
Shortly after the vote, Labor upper house MP Rose Jackson tweeted: "This is a party that has bigotry and racism at its core and now they have a senior position in our Parliament."
The first round of voting began as a three-horse contest for the position, with Labor nominating Courtney Houssos, while One Nation leader Mark Latham nominated Mr Roberts.
Mr Latham said Mr Roberts would be "even handed, independent and reliable in this chamber" and would serve with "great distinction".
The government threw its support behind Reverend Nile, with Liberal MP Natalie Ward moving his nomination. However, most Coalition MPs appeared to use their secret ballot to switch to Mr Roberts.
Reverend Nile, 85, was knocked out in the first round after receiving just six votes. In the second vote, Mr Roberts secured 21 votes with the support of government MPs, while Ms Houssos received 20 votes.
The position became vacant in May after Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane was forced to resign over public comments he made regarding China's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included extolling President Xi Jinping's "unswerving leadership".
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