Malarndirri McCarthy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Senator The Honourable Malarndirri McCarthy
McCarthy in 2022
Minister for Indigenous Australians
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 July 2024
Prime Minister	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Linda Burney
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians
In office 1 June 2022 – 28 July 2024
Prime Minister	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Chris Gallus (2004)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health
In office 1 June 2022 – 28 July 2024
Prime Minister	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ged Kearney
Senator for the Northern Territory
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 July 2016
Preceded by	Nova Peris
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Arnhem
In office 18 June 2005 – 24 August 2012
Preceded by	Jack Ah Kit
Succeeded by	Larisa Lee
Personal details
Born	Barbara Anne McCarthy 1970 (age 54–55) Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia
Political party	Labor
Alma mater	St Scholastica's College
Occupation	Politician

Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCarthy (born 1970) is an Indigenous Australian politician. She was also a journalist. Since 2016, she has been a Senator for the Northern Territory. She became the Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Albanese Government on July 29, 2024. Before this, she worked in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.

McCarthy worked as a reporter and newsreader for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for 16 years. In 2005, she was elected to the NT Legislative Assembly for the Arnhem area. She was re-elected in 2008 and became a minister. She held several important roles for four years. However, she lost her seat in the 2012 election. McCarthy then returned to media, working for NITV and SBS News. She re-entered politics in 2016 as a lead candidate for the Labor Party in the Senate. She was appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians in July 2024. This happened after Linda Burney announced she was leaving parliament.

Early Life and Education

Barbara Anne McCarthy was born in 1970 in Katherine, Northern Territory. Her mother was Limandabina Charlie, and her father was John McCarthy. She is proud of her Aboriginal heritage. Her mother's family comes from the Garrwa and Yanyuwa peoples. Their traditional lands are near the McArthur River and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Her father was from Sydney and had Irish ancestors.

McCarthy was raised mostly by her father. She was always encouraged to connect with her Aboriginal culture. She learned through "two-way learning," which means combining Indigenous and Western ways. She attended school in Borroloola and Alice Springs. Then she went to boarding school for six years at St Scholastica's College in Sydney. She was the school captain in 1988.

Career Journey

Starting in Journalism

In 1989, McCarthy began training as a journalist at ABC Darwin. Her English teacher suggested she apply. She worked as a reporter for TV and radio across Australia. In 1993, she became the weeknight newsreader for ABC News in Darwin. She also presented the current affairs show Stateline.

In 1997, she returned to Borroloola. She helped start the first community radio station there, B102.9FM. This was in 1998, with help from the ABC. She also set up a cultural center for local Indigenous people. She worked for the ABC for 16 years. After that, she started her own media company called Malarndirri Media.

First Steps in Politics

In 2005, McCarthy was chosen as the Labor candidate for Arnhem. She won the election with a large number of votes. Her election meant that ten women were in the 25-seat assembly. This was a high number for women in parliament at the time.

McCarthy was one of five Indigenous candidates elected. This reflected the number of Indigenous people in the Territory. During her first term, she voted against her own government. She did this to oppose diverting the McArthur River. This river is important to her Country and culture in Borroloola.

In 2007, her mother passed away. Her mother had strongly supported land rights for the Borroloola people. Out of respect, McCarthy added her Yanyuwa name, Malarndirri.

She was re-elected without opposition in 2008. After her re-election, McCarthy became a minister. From 2008 to 2009, she was Minister for Children and Families, Child Protection, and Women's Policy. She also helped the Chief Minister with multicultural affairs. She pushed for changes in child protection and homelands policy.

In 2009, her roles doubled. She worked on major changes in Local Government, Regional Economic Development, and Indigenous Development. She also kept the Women's and statehood portfolios, and Tourism was added. In the 2012 election, McCarthy lost her seat.

Return to Journalism

McCarthy went back to journalism, working for National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS until 2016.

In 2013, she won an award for her story about the Thorne Brothers. These two Noongar brothers from Perth were in Saudi Arabia. She also wrote a story about Mercedes-Benz in 2013. The company filmed an advertisement at Wave Rock, a sacred Aboriginal site. The general manager of Mercedes-Benz flew to Wave Rock to apologize to the traditional custodians.

McCarthy was a journalist and presenter at NITV and SBS News. She led a team of journalists as executive producer of NITV National News. Later, she presented NITV News Week in Review.

National Politics

After Nova Peris resigned, McCarthy was asked to run for the Senate. This was for the 2016 federal election, representing the Northern Territory. She won a Senate seat on July 2, 2016. She brought a much higher vote for the Australian Labor Party.

McCarthy was the first federal politician to list ownership of traditional Indigenous lands in her official declarations. She was a Temporary Chair of Committees from 2017 to 2019. Then she became the Opposition Deputy Whip in the Senate.

She strongly supported changing laws for same-sex marriage in 2017. She has spoken out about domestic violence and issues in the NT. She has fought for better representation for all territories in the Senate. She has also opposed the permanent use of the cashless debit card in the NT. She believes the territory needs a program that creates jobs with fair wages.

After the 2022 federal election, McCarthy was appointed Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians. She also became the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health in July 2022. She could not attend the first swearing-in ceremony because she had COVID-19. She was sworn in separately on June 16, 2022. She has focused on Indigenous health, especially kidney disease among Aboriginal Australians.

Before the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Paraliament referendum, McCarthy strongly supported the "Yes" vote.

McCarthy has been very active in parliamentary committees. These committees study different topics and make recommendations. She chaired the Stillbirth Research and Education committee. She also chaired the Aboriginal Flag committee.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Role

In July 2024, she was appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians. This meant she joined the main group of ministers, called the cabinet. This was the first time that both the minister and the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians were Aboriginal women from the Northern Territory. The shadow minister is Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Soon after her appointment, the latest Closing the Gap report was released. It showed that only five of 19 targets were on track. Several had fallen further behind. She said she would focus on these targets. She hopes to work on Indigenous affairs with support from all political parties.

She attended the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This was within a week of becoming minister. She also gave her first television interview there.

Other Activities and Interests

While working as a journalist for SBS and NITV, McCarthy also worked part-time at her sons' school. This was Saint Ignatius' College in Riverview, New South Wales. She helped develop a program about First Nations people. She taught year 7 students about Indigenous landcare. She also took boys to stay in the NT. She described this as a "deeply spiritual experience."

In 2017, she gave a speech at the National Indigenous Human Rights Awards. She spoke at Parliament House. She mentioned Eddie Koiki Mabo, a land rights campaigner. She said, "Believing in the impossible is really what leads us to where we get to in life."

In 2018, McCarthy was invited to give the Kerferd Oration in Beechworth, Victoria. She also gave the Venerable Mary Aikenhead Oration in 2024. This was at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney. Her topic was "Improving health and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians."

She has been involved with the Community Development Fund run by the Arts Council. She was also a patron for SIDS & Kids NT for 12 years. She has been a member of Emily's List and Women's Network NT.

Media Appearances

McCarthy has been a guest on ABC Television's Q+A panel show several times.

Awards and Recognition

A photo of McCarthy by British photojournalist Penny Tweedie is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.

Awards and nominations she received as a journalist include:

• 2013: Winner, first journalism award for Story of the Year at the Deadly Awards.
• 2013: Nomination, Walkley Award, for her story on Mercedes-Benz.
• 2014: Nomination, Walkley Award, as part of the NITV team, for the Innocence Betrayed documentary. This was about the Bowraville murders investigation.
• 2014: Journalist of the Year, NSW Multicultural and Indigenous Media Awards.
• 2015: Nomination, Logie Awards, for her coverage of a police action in Moree.

Personal Life

McCarthy raised three sons as a single mother. One of her sons, CJ, has a physical disability. He works with young people. He won a scholarship to play wheelchair basketball for the University of Texas.

McCarthy married Richard Bryant on July 2, 2022, in Darwin. Senator Don Farrell attended the wedding.

She also has kinship responsibilities for four young women. These are the two daughters of her "cousin–sister" and twin daughters of her "cousin-brother." She and her husband also act as parents to these children.

In the remote Northern Territory area where she grew up, people know her as "Mal," "Barb," or "yapa."

In 2015, McCarthy was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. She inherited this from her mother. In 2019, she had an acute kidney infection and had to be taken to a hospital from Parliament.