EXCLUSIVE: CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told a meeting of party members on Saturday that she was concerned for her safety after allegedly receiving “threatening and harassing” messages from a party operative who was convicted of threatening to kill NT Police officers and their family members 20 years ago – a man party president Shane Stone unilaterally attempted to reinstate as a member, after previously being rejected on character grounds.

Multiple sources said Ms Price was delivering a speech to party faithful at the CLP’s central council meeting in Mataranka on Saturday when she raised the issue of not feeling safe in the party in response to a question by a member.

Ms Price said she had received threatening and harassing messages from former NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Ashley Manicaros in recent weeks and would not feel safe in the party if he was installed as a member, as per Mr Stone’s wishes.

Mr Stone then interrupted Senator Price to tell the room that he fully supported Mr Manicaros’ application to become a member, but he was shot down by other members, with one telling him that “nobody asked for your opinion”, multiple sources said.

It is understood Mr Stone has spoken to others about making Mr Manicaros – who worked for him in the 1990s and was convicted of threatening to kill NT Police officers in 2004 – the CLP’s campaign manager for the 2024 election.

The NT Independent has seen party documents that show Mr Stone circumvented standard party membership procedures to get Mr Manicaros’ application dealt with directly by the party’s management committee instead of on the branch level. However, his application still needed to be ratified at the central council meeting on Saturday.

That application was roundly rejected by the party in a humiliating defeat for Mr Stone as president, when the majority of members spoke out against allowing Mr Manicaros to join the party

Party members the NT Independent spoke with were surprised by the “lack of judgment” shown by Mr Stone in attempting to get Mr Manicaros back into the party after being previously rejected, including in 2020, when he attempted to run for Port Darwin.

The Darwin branch of the CLP “years ago” rejected his application to join the party “on character grounds”, a former management committee member told the NT Independent.

The management committee referenced Mr Manicaros’ previous conviction in 2004 for threatening to kill four NT Police officers, as well as threatening to kill one of the officers’ wives, as the main reason for rejecting his application.

“As a result of the above being brought to the attention of the Darwin Branch Executive Committee, the committee decided to refuse Mr Manicaros’ application for membership,” the source said.

“Despite this, Mr Manicaros has continued to insert himself into the CLP, often seen with CLP members of Parliament.

“Despite his attempts to ingratiate himself with the CLP, Manicaros continued behaviour consistent with his conviction by sending threatening and harassing messages over text, email and social media. It appeared that anyone Manicaros thought had blocked his attempt to join was in the firing line.”

In 2020, Mr Manicaros did disclose his past conviction in his application for preselection for Port Darwin, which the party rejected again, despite his application being supported by CLP Leader Lia Finocchiaro.

Ms Finocchiaro refused to comment on the incident over the weekend at central council on Monday. She also refused to say why she supported Mr Manicaros to run in Port Darwin in 2020, while aware of his past conviction for threatening to kill police and if she supported Mr Manicaros becoming campaign manager for the 2024 election.

Ms Price said she would not comment on “internal party matters” but told the NT Independent that she is “proud to be representing the Country Liberal Party and the people of the Northern Territory”.

“As an Indigenous woman and Senator, I will always fight for our party’s core values including equality, security and safety in the workplace,” she said.

Mr Manicaros did not respond to texts on Monday.

Mr Stone and party executive officer Sara Battye also did not respond to questions, including if Mr Stone intends to resign after failing to bring a man who threatened to kill police officers back into the party.

“It is most worrying for both the CLP, and the NT in general, that a man of Mr Stone’s power and influence was willing to disregard the concerns of an Indigenous woman, and support the inclusion of a man who has threatened women, party members, police officers and their spouses to join the CLP,” the former party management committee member said.

“One wonders why the president of the CLP has wholeheartedly supported [Manicaros].”