AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is seeking to use her "captain's pick" to ditch a sitting Labor senator and back Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris as lead Senate candidate in the Northern Territory.
Ms Gillard said she wanted to see Ms Peris become the first indigenous woman to sit in the federal parliament.
Announcing her choice to replace Labor senator Trish Crossin at the next election, she said she had been "troubled" that federal Labor had never counted an indigenous Australian among its parliamentary numbers.
Senator Crossin, who has spent 15 years in parliament, was told of the plan only on Monday evening.
"This action has been taken without consultation or negotiation with the NT branch of the ALP or my input as the long-serving federal Labor senator for the Northern Territory," she said in a statement.
The prime minister dismissed accusations it was ruthless to shaft a hard-working member of parliament, saying change in politics was inevitable.
She said she didn't intend to make a regular thing of intervening in preselection.
"I am a big respecter of party processes, but I think there is a national significance here for our political party," Ms Gillard told reporters in Canberra.
"I have decided on this occasion to engage in a captain's pick.
"Nova has a track record which shows she will make a great contribution in federal parliament, but that's not to diminish the work of others."
She said there were "only so many positions, so there's some tough choices".
Senator Crossin said preselection should be a matter for local party members.
"It is those members of the party whose opinions and trust must be respected in terms of determining who can best serve the diverse interests of the NT electorate."
Ms Gillard said Ms Peris, the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, had a "passion for health and education" that made her the right choice to succeed Senator Crossin.
An emotional Ms Peris thanked the prime minister for the "amazing opportunity" to stand for preselection.
"I stand here before you all today not only as an Australian but also as a proud Aboriginal women, proud of my heritage and culture," Ms Peris said.
"I certainly understand the significance of this opportunity and I am very honoured and humbled."
Asked whether she fully supported the federal intervention in NT indigenous communities, Ms Peris said she believed something needed to be done but the implementation was flawed.
"I was in the midst of that and I saw firsthand that you can have policies, but if you don't have the right people implementing it, it's never going to work," she said.
Ms Peris said she was "all about being successful".
"I want to be the best person that I can possibly be for the Australian youth and Aboriginal Australia. And I am going to give it one hell of a go."
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