Chansey Paech facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Chansey Paech MLA
20th Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
In office 21 December 2023 – 28 August 2024
Chief Minister	Eva Lawler
Preceded by	Nicole Manison
Succeeded by	Gerard Maley
Attorney-General of the Northern Territory
In office 23 May 2022 – 28 August 2024
Chief Minister	Natasha Fyles Eva Lawler
Preceded by	Selena Uibo
Succeeded by	Gerard Maley
12th Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
In office 23 June 2020 – 7 September 2020
Preceded by	Kezia Purick
Succeeded by	Ngaree Ah Kit
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Gwoja
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 August 2020
Preceded by	New seat
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Namatjira
In office 27 August 2016 – 22 August 2020
Preceded by	Alison Anderson
Succeeded by	Bill Yan
Personal details
Born	Chanston James Paech November 1987 Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Political party	Labor Party

Chansey Paech is an Australian politician. He was born in 1987 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. He is a member of the Labor Party. Since 2016, he has been a representative in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. He first represented the area of Namatjira and later Gwoja. Chansey Paech has family connections to the Arrernte, Arabana, and Gurindji peoples.

Early Life and Education

Chanston James Paech was born in 1987. His mother is Aboriginal, from the Arrernte and Gurindji peoples. His father has German heritage.

He is related to important figures in Central Australian history. These include Topsy Smith and Walter Smith.

Chansey Paech grew up and went to school in Alice Springs. He took part in many youth programs. One of these was the first National Indigenous Youth Parliament. He later studied at Charles Darwin University. His studies focused on managing the environment and land.

Early Career in Politics

Before joining the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, Chansey Paech was active in local government. In 2012, he was elected to the Alice Springs Town Council. This was an important step in his political journey.

Key Policy Areas

Chansey Paech has worked on several important policy areas. These include justice, housing, and protecting sacred sites.

Justice System Reforms

In May 2022, Chansey Paech became the Northern Territory Attorney General. In this role, he worked to improve the justice system. He introduced new laws in October 2022. These laws aimed to change how young people are treated in the justice system. They also reformed rules for adult sentencing.

He also introduced changes to anti-discrimination laws. These changes aimed to better protect people from unfair treatment.

In February 2022, Paech was responsible for laws about sacred sites. He made a decision in parliament to stop the expansion of the McArthur River mine. This decision was about protecting important cultural sites.

Housing Initiatives

As Minister for Remote Housing, Homelands, and Town Camps, Paech focused on housing. He worked to improve housing for people in remote areas. He also spoke out about the need for more housing support from the federal government.

Views on Past Policies

Chansey Paech has expressed his views on past government policies. He disagreed with the Northern Territory National Emergency Response. This policy was also known as the Intervention. He also disagreed with the policy that followed it, called Stronger Futures.

Political Career

Chansey Paech was chosen as the Labor candidate for Namatjira in 2016. This was for the 2016 Territory election. The previous representative, Alison Anderson, was retiring. She supported Paech as her replacement. This support helped him greatly.

Paech won the Namatjira seat by a large margin. He received 59 percent of the votes. This made Namatjira a strong Labor seat again. After winning, he became the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees.

He gave his first speech in parliament on October 19, 2016. In his speech, he spoke about his background and pride. He said he was proud of who he was and where he came from.

In June 2020, Paech was elected Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. This made him the first Aboriginal Speaker of an Australian Parliament. He took over from Kezia Purick.

Before the 2020 Territory election, the boundaries of Namatjira changed. This made it harder for Labor to win the seat. So, Paech ran for re-election in the nearby area of Gwoja. He won this seat easily.

He resigned as Speaker in September 2020. He then joined the Gunner Ministry. In this role, he became a minister for several areas. These included Local Government and Remote Housing. He also oversaw Indigenous Essential Services and Arts and Culture.

In May 2022, Paech took on new roles in the Fyles Ministry. He became the Northern Territory Attorney General. He was also the Leader of Government Business. His other roles included Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing, Arts and Culture, and Local Government.

Chansey Paech is a member of the Labor Party's Left faction.