Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s talent for leadership has been the topic of conversation since she was credited with defeating the Voice to Parliament by correctly steering the Coalition toward ‘No’ in resonance with public opinion.

The move took courage, as it ran contrary to the accepted moral compass of the political, media, and bureaucratic classes. This Canberra Bubble effect was never more obvious than the map of the referendum results where the ACT sat in contradiction to the rest of the nation.

This led to commentators fantasising about Senator Price in a leadership position going forward.

Today we are a step closer to that goal after it was announced Senator Price has decided to sit with the Liberals. The expectation is that she will run on a leadership ticket with Angus Taylor.

The pair of them will face off against Sussan Ley.

‘I want to bring back our core values of liberty, individual freedom, and responsibility, the rule of law, free market and economic prosperity, minimal government intervention, a fair go, and most of all, love for our nation, Australia. Let this be the moment we stop whispering our values and start declaring them again, not as fringe ideas, but as the foundation on which this country was built,’ said Senator Price.

She added, ‘Let this serve as a reminder that our duty is not to win favour with the few, but to stand united with the many. Those who Menzies recognised. Those who Howard defended. And those we must fight for now.’

The problem facing the Coalition is more complex than that, but this is an excellent start to a very difficult conversation the party must have.

Senator Price is part of the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory, but convention has previously left her sitting with the Nationals. The Nationals appear to have prepared for this eventuality, with their Leader, David Littleproud, telling the press:

‘The Nationals negotiated an extra position in Shadow Cabinet before the election to give Senator Nampijinpa Price a promotion and Shadow Ministerial opportunity … I appreciate Senator Nampijinpa Price has ambition that extends beyond the possibilities of the Nationals and I wish her well.’

The exchange was a little bit salty, with Littleproud having a dig at the result: ‘The Liberals will need to rebuild after Saturday’s election and Senator Nampijinpa Price will play a key role in that recovery, while the Nationals are proud to have kept all of our Lower House seats. The Nationals will continue to fight for regional Australia, which ultimately helps all of Australia.’ To be fair, he earned his moment of sass.

‘I’m delighted by the news,’ said Angus Taylor on X. ‘Jacinta is a tireless advocate for Liberal values and a good friend. Jacinta will be another strong voice at a time the Liberal Party must rebuild.’

The Editor-in-Chief of this publication, Rowan Dean, has long maintained that Senator Price is not only a future Prime Minister, but also the most charismatic Member of Parliament with ‘that rarest of political skills – the ability to speak common sense’.

I continue to prefer an Alex Antic leadership offer. Spare me your protests about him sitting in the Senate.

However, with Senator Price somewhere near the leadership, the Coalition has a shot at survival and the wets are going to find it very difficult to fight against the woman that put them on the right side of public opinion during the referendum.

The Labor Party have described her as the ‘MAGA candidate’, which is interesting because if she existed within Albanese’s Cabinet she would be viewed as the perfect box-ticking candidate being an Indigenous woman. That is how the left views people … as marketable components to sway identity groups. It is the very thing Senator Price has the power to unravel. Which is why they kicked up such a fuss about her ‘make Australia great again’ comments during the election. They sensed that she was the real political threat. Now, she might have the chance to prove it.

However, not everyone is happy.

Senator Matt Canavan, another conservative favourite, wrote on X:

‘Jacinta Price’s decision to put her own ambition over the will of the voters is exactly why people are sick of politicians. Jacinta Price was elected less than a week ago as a Senator that would sit in the Nationals party room. Jacinta’s act is no different than Lidia Thorpe switching sides, In fact, it is worse because in Jacinta’s case, the votes are still being counted. If Jacinta wanted to sit in the Liberal party room she could have stood for a Liberal seat just a week ago. Why didn’t she?’

He appeared on Sky News Australia looking a little miffed adding, ‘…it’s very sad because I think Jacinta’s done enormous damage to her reputation’ citing feedback from the Northern Territory and various colleagues who helped her get elected. He added that she left her party, her colleagues, and the people who supported her. ‘It’s not the sort of behaviour you should be proud of.’

The overwhelming response to Senator Canavan online can be described as: ‘Dude…’

In any case, the Guardian is publishing annoyed remarks from Liberal wets which means the decision can only be a good thing for the future of conservatism.

It is understandable that the Nationals will be frustrated or feel let down, but ultimately, politics is about what is best for the future of the country, not any individual party.

Flat White is written by Alexandra Marshall. If you would like to support her work, shout her a coffee over at donor-box.