Chansey Paech
Chanston James "Chansey" Paech 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.
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.He is the great-great-grandson of Central Australian pioneer, Topsy Smith, and the great-great nephew of bushman Walter Smith. Paech is the only openly gay male MP in the NT Legislative Assembly, and before entering politics, he was a prominent LGBT rights activist.
Paech was educated in Alice Springs and participated in many youth programs, including the inaugural National Indigenous Youth Parliament. He went on to study at Charles Darwin University in the fields of environmental and land management, conservation, and horticulture.
Early career
Paech was elected to the Alice Springs Town Council in 2012.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.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.
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.