Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has attempted to have Parliament access the minutes from a Central Land Council meeting, despite currently being party to a legal case involving the land council's chief executive.

On Wednesday, Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic moved a motion at the request of the Opposition spokesperson for Indigenous Australians for the minutes of the Council meeting of the Central Land Council in Tennant Creek on September 17 be submitted to parliament in full.

According to a statement by the CLC, the meeting in Tennant Creek saw former CLC deputy chair Warren Williams elected to lead the council as its new chair after Matthew Palmer had "lost the confidence of the council".

In response, Labor Senator Anthony Chisholm said the government couldn't support the motion as they didn't have the minutes and argued Senator Price "has chosen to play politics with this matter".

"It is clear that the motions being sought today by Senator Nampijinpa Price are an attempt to use the Senate to further a personal vendetta in relation to the leadership of the CLC, and that is something that the senator should explain," Senator Chisholm said.

"This is particularly improper and concerning whilst Senator Nampijinpa Price is being sued for defamation by the CEO of the CLC."

The legal action involves Land Council chief executive Lesley Turner, who Guardian Australia reported in September has launched a federal case against Senator Price over allegations she defamed him.

In July, two articles appeared in the NT News, quoting Senator Price and Mr Palmer, saying a no-confidence motion had been moved by members of the council against CLC chief executive Lesley Turner.

The CLC denied this had taken place.

The NT News deleted the articles, stating: "The NT News apologises to Mr Turner for any hurt or embarrassment caused by the publication of the articles."

Mr Palmer had released a statement saying members at a full council meeting had moved to cut out Mr Turner. In a subsequent release, Senator Price quoted Mr Palmer, claiming there was a "majority support for change of direction and leadership" in the Central Land Council.

Guardian Australia reported that as of early September, according to the claim, Senator Price had "still failed to retract her allegations" about Mr Turner.

After an Order for the Production of Documents was put forward by Senator Kovacic on Wednesday at the request of Senator Price for any documents relating to leave taken by Mr Turner and any documents relating to acting arrangements in place during Mr Turner's leave, Senator Chisholm said the request was "completely inappropriate" and argued it was a "concerning use of Senate procedure".

"It's a matter of public record that Mr Turner, the subject of this motion, has brought defamation proceedings against Senator Price," he said. "Those legal proceedings remain underway."

He said the motion directly named Mr Turner and asked for documents that potentially form part of the defamation suit. The Senator said the government was "concerned" the Senate could be brought into the Senator Price's legal case or "potentially interfere with legal proceedings that are underway".

Senator Price said her motivations have been impugned, with Senator Chisolm later withdrawing his comments.

A further motion attempting to call on the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, to explain if an investigation into the CLC and their behaviour towards Mr Palmer would take place was defeated.

National Indigenous Times understands there is no ongoing investigation into the CLC by the government, and no procedural issues regarding the removal of Mr Palmer have been identified.

Senator Price told National Indigenous Times she sought access to the minutes of the CLC meeting to "do my job of holding this government to account," arguing she believed Senator McCarthy had "not fulfilled her responsibilities in relation to the CLC as required of her under the ALRA [Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976]".

"The motivation and intention behind seeking the minutes had nothing to do with any legal action," Senator Price said.

"This government will do and say anything to shut down accountability and transparency.

"To suggest it was improper for me to seek those minutes because legal proceedings are on foot would be to encourage the lodgement of legal proceedings as a way preventing the disclosure of what could be important information in the task of holding government to account."

In response to Senator Price's comments, Senator McCarthy told National Indigenous Times the government couldn't support the motion seeking the CLC meeting minutes as they didn't have them.

She said land councils "do not routinely" send copies of their minutes to the Commonwealth, nor are they required to.

"The Government explained this in the Senate yesterday," Senator McCarthy said, arguing Senator Price had chosen to "play politics with this matter".

"Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, Senator Nampijinpa Price is able to request the minutes from the Central Land Council directly."

The motions are the latest episode in a long-standing feud between Senator Price and land councils - particularly the 50-year-old CLC, whose area of governance includes Senator Price's hometown of Mparntwe/Alice Springs and an estimated 24,000 Aboriginal people.

While the CLC were celebrating their 50th anniversary last weekend, Senator Price and a group of local Arrernte Elders congregated in Alice Springs and once again called for an inquiry into the land council.

"If an organisation has not delivered or fulfilled its purpose for its people, then the number of years it has existed is irrelevant," Senator Price said.

A 2023 audit into the CLC found the organisation's governance arrangements under the ALRA, the Native Title Act 1993 and Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 were largely effective, and made 11 recommendations, ten of which the CLC accepted in full and one in part.

Last year, the CLC were highly critical of comments made by Senator Price at her National Press Club appearance, where she downplayed the ongoing negative repercussions of colonisation.

The Central Land Council declined to comment while legal proceedings were ongoing.

This article was updated to add in Senator McCarthy's response