Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has thrown her support behind Olympian, Nova Peris, as a candidate for the Senate in the NT.
Ms Gillard will ask the Australian Labor Party to endorse the indigenous athlete and Olympic hockey gold medallist as a candidate.
'Her passion for health and education makes her the right choice to succeed Senator Trish Crossin,' Ms Gillard says.
Ms Gillard said Labor, from Gough Whitlam's time, has had much to be proud of in its indigenous policy and achievements.
But she was also 'very troubled' that Labor had never had an indigenous Federal Labor Member of Parliament.
Ms Gillard said Nova was a household name and many remembered her sporting triumphs, winning an Olympic gold medal in hockey at the 1996 games.
'What they show is grit and determination to get things done and I am very admiring of that grit and determination,' she said.
'I believe Nova will make a great contribution in the federal parliament for the Labor Party for the Northern Territory and for the nation, not just because of that grit and determination but because of the work she has done since her sporting career on building opportunities for young Australians.'
Ms Gillard said she was the first Aboriginal Australian to win Olympic gold.
'I want her to be the first Aboriginal woman to sit in the Federal Parliament,' she said.
Ms Gillard also announced that Senator Crossin would not be contesting this year's election.
She said Senator Crossin had done some 'amazing' things since she was first elected in 1998.
'She is a proud Territorian and she has spent a lot of time making sure this parliament never forgets the views and perspectives of the Northern Territory as we make policies and plans,' Ms Gillard said.
The Senator has served with distinction on many parliamentary committees, 'and she is doing that even today', Ms Gillard said.
Senator Crossin will continue to serve until the election.
Ms Gillard said that Senator Crossin would be making a statement later about stepping aside.
She confirmed that Ms Peris would be number one on the ALP Senate ticket for the Northern Territory.
'I have decided on this occasion to engage in a captain's pick,' Ms Gillard said.
'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.'
Ms Gillard said the Labor Party had a number of indigenous members in the NT and Australia-wide.
Ms Peris thanked the Prime Minister for the 'amazing opportunity' to stand for Labor pre-selection for a Northern Territory seat in the Senate.
'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 by this, Prime Minister.'
Ms Peris attributed the CLP victory at last year's NT poll to hard work by the CLP and Labor taking their eye off the mark.
But she said that was now unravelling for the CLP.
'As an Aboriginal woman I have seen and I've been around the ropes long and hard enough to know that Aboriginal people have been disappointed with government for a long time, hence the intervention,' she said.
'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.'
Ms Peris said she was proud, honoured and humbled to be part of Labor.
'We are working very hard to win the next election and get the right people working,' she said.
Asked whether she fully supported the intervention, Ms Peris said she believed something needed to be done but the way the intervention was implemented was wrong.
'This Government has the stronger futures legislation which now hopefully I'll be a big part of that to ensure that voices of aboriginal Australia is actually heard here at a federal level,' she said.
'And I can ensure that these new programs are implemented the correct way.'
