Senator Nampijinpa Price talks to Sharri Markson, Sharri, Sky News

29 April 2026

Subjects: Sharon Granites

E&OE……………

SHARRI MARKSON:

All right, let's turn to this story that we spoke about last night. A five-year-old girl, Sharon Granites, she's still missing in Alice Springs tonight with police hunting Jefferson Lewis, a 47-year-old violent criminal who was fresh out of jail. Now it's alleged that he was seen walking out of the house at the Old Timers camp with the little girl holding her hand. And in a disturbing discovery, police have just this evening said that they found what they say is a pair of children's underwear and a shirt that Lewis was wearing. They say that Lewis has no phone, no bank card, no car, almost no digital footprints. So this has become an old fashioned search through camps and streets and scrubs. Now Liam Mendes has been reporting that he actually visited the house where Sharon went missing. He's coming up later in the show, an unbelievable story. But right now, Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joins me. Jacinta, thank you very much for your time. How frightening is this for poor Sharon?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Well, it's incredibly frightening and very disturbing for the family as well. You know, I'm holding on to hope that, you know, that she is still alive. And I'm very grateful for the volunteers, the police, the Aboriginal trackers, everyone that's been involved in the search for Sharon. And, you know, she is part of my extended family — I'm an aunt to her.

SHARRI MARKSON:

I didn't know Jacinta, I'm so sorry.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Yes, I just know that family are absolutely beside themselves, but one thing — I have been assisting police where I can when information is being brought to me — and I think it's really important that people understand that her life is much more important. I know sometimes there are those who will support a family member even if they've done the wrong thing. And there is concern that there are people that do know the whereabouts of Jefferson Lewis. And I imagine there has to be — given the amount of time that's gone by — you know, someone like that can't just disappear into thin air. Finding him, I believe, is the clue to being able to find Sharon, and I would urge people to come forward. You know, there is concern amongst some that there will be some form of payback and reprisal, but the most important thing is that Sharon is brought home to family, and if you have any information whatsoever, even the tiniest bit of information, you can give that to police. You can dial 131444 and provide that information and do it anonymously so that your name isn't known, but that's really important for people to know in these circumstances too.

SHARRI MARKSON:

Jacinta, this man was a known violent offender fresh out of jail. There seems to be, as far as I can see, no parole conditions, really. I mean, why was he out of jail? Why wasn't he being monitored?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Well, these are all questions that will need to be answered going forward. And again, I truly believe in our justice system in the Northern Territory, I mean, there's always room for improvement. The needs and the protection of the vulnerable in our communities should always come first before any perpetrators. Our justice system needs to do much better. To ensure that these circumstances are now before us, but also that they don't happen again going forward and that our vulnerable are ultimately protected. And we, as community members and as family members — I talk about the issue of violence in our communities and I've always urged for better protection and better support for our vulnerable and for those who have been victimised. Instead of, you know, in some cases there's often support for perpetrators. We can't continue with that sort of behaviour going forward.

SHARRI MARKSON:

I spoke to Liam a bit earlier, he's going to be on the show later, but I spoke to him on the phone yesterday and today about this story because he's reporting on it and he said to me, Sharri, this isn't like a little girl being taken from her bed. He said, I have never been to a town camp and he was telling me about it. He's been there and he's said, it's kind of open. There's a lot of people coming and going. Health conditions aren't great often, you know, is this part of the bigger picture of what needs to be addressed as well.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Absolutely. We need to have a conversation about town camps and what kind of life they provide for people who live in them, but particularly so for children. They are absolute hellholes. I mean, I have lost so many family members in town camps. The town camp that is currently under the spotlight is a town camp where my niece was stabbed to death by her ex-partner. You know, there's been plenty of lives lost in that town camp, but there are so many town camps where I have lost my family because of alcohol-related violence and issues. And, you know, there is Tangentyere Council is responsible for the upkeep of these town camps. I see, as a local, you have to ask the question, what are they doing, considering the funding they receive in terms of the upkeep of these town camps when they are in the state that they are in. I mean, Sharri, you know, I wouldn't let my own children stay in a town camp, no regular Australian would want their child staying in a camp, and yet we've still got them in and around Alice Springs and this goes to a broader conversation about what we should be doing about these circumstances. These places that they're supposed to be free of alcohol but we know that they are not free of alcohol. We know that there are those who have argued for alcohol to be in town camps. Well, you know, it's an absolute, the combination of alcohol, the itinerant sort of behaviour, movement, those that, you know, with convictions coming in and out of these places are a recipe for absolute disaster, and we need to start having serious conversations about this now.

SHARRI MARKSON:

This should be a bigger story, shouldn't it? If it was any other five-year-old girl in any other part of Australia, it would be a bigger story.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Absolutely. You know, it would be plastered all over the country and I feel like in many ways there is a desensitisation because it's, you know, involves a young Indigenous girl and when it comes to Indigenous issues, when perpetrators are Indigenous, there is a reluctance to go hard on a particular issue. She's our little girl, she's an Aussie, and she needs to come home to her family.

SHARRI MARKSON:

She's your niece.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

She's my niece, you know? That's the bottom line. And I know so much of the community are feeling it and reeling right now, right across the Northern Territory. They're feeling this. I know mothers that are completely unrelated that are just themselves breaking down in tears because they feel helpless to do anything in this situation.

SHARRI MARKSON:

I'm so sad about this story. I'm sorry for you and for Sharon's family, Jacinta. We'll keep covering it until we hopefully find her. Thank you so much.

[Ends]