The Coalition candidate for the vast NT electorate of Lingiari has said a Royal Commission into sexual abuse of children should be expanded nationwide, contradicting calls by Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

The inquiry proposal, which is focused on the abuse of children in remote Indigenous communities, has been one of the few concrete policy ideas floated by the Coalition in the Indigenous affairs portfolio.

Earlier his year, Opposition leader Peter Dutton argued it was an "absolute priority of the government that I lead," and said children in Mparntwe/Alice Springs shouldn't be treated "any different to any other part of the country".

Speaking last week, Country Liberal candidate for Lingiari Lisa Siebert said the proposal should be broadened to investigate claims of abuse across the entire country.

"I would like to see it for all children, it should be right across the board," Ms Siebert told ABC Radio Alice Springs.

"We do know that non-Aboriginal children are being treated in this manner, and it's not being reported."

Ms Siebert, a Larrakia woman and former chair of the Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation, is the CLP candidate for Lingiari. The seat has the highest Indigenous enrolment of any electorate and is held by Labor MP Marion Scrymgour on a razor-thin margin of 1.7 per cent.

However, less than a day after making her comments, Ms Siebert was contradicted by Senator Price.

The Opposition Indigenous affairs spokesperson has frequently called for a Royal Commission during her public appearances, and heavily criticised organisations that don't agree.

"I absolutely respect Lisa Siebert's opinions on the matter, but more specifically, this Royal Commission we have committed to will be for Indigenous children," Senator Price told the ABC.

Despite a lack of data to support the claim, the NT Senator said Indigenous children were disproportionately affected by sexual abuse and said the Coalition would implement a RoyaR Commission as soon as they win government, as a matter of priority

"If we're elected, it will take place in the first 100 days of government. It's not something we're going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs on," she said.

Earlier this year, NT chief minister Lia Finocchiaro seemed to cast doubt on the need for a Royal Commission, saying she has not had "specific reports from police" on abuse in remote communities.

"It is certainly not been put to me that this is where we need to be spending our time and energy," the Territory CLP leader said at the time.

Indigenous organisations have pushed back on the calls for a Royal Commission, arguing the solutions are already known and the motivation is a "political ploy that would not make one child safe".

In January, SNAICC chief executive Catherine Liddle said Mr Dutton "first made these claims in 2023, and hundreds of organisations and individuals rejected his stance, instead calling for action on solutions backed by evidence. It is beyond disappointing we have not been heard".

"If Mr Dutton is truly concerned about the safety of children, he should be calling a Royal Commission into the abuse of all Australian children," she said.

After Mr Dutton first proposed the inquiry in the aftermath of the failed Voice referendum, Indigenous organisations issued a scathing rebuke, arguing they were not being consulted.

At the time, Djirra chief executive Antoinette Braybrook, stated: "This is not what First Nations people, especially our women, want."

"We want to be listened to and heard about our solutions to keep our women and children safe. We want our self-determined Aboriginal community-controlled services at the frontline, on the ground, to be invested in," she said.

There have been more than 33 reports into allegations of abuse and neglect in First Nations communities since the 1997 Bringing Them Home report. More than a hundred of the recommendations in them have not been implemented.

Royal Commissions have long been the benchmark of investigations in Australia, but many recommendations from the high-level inquiries are routinely ignored or disputed.

This year alone, the Coalition has welcomed state and territory governments in the NT and Queensland implementing policies contradicting the 1991 Royal Commission into Indigenous deaths in custody and the Don Dale Royal Commission.

Having been appointed to the portfolio for eliminating government waste, Senator Price has not responded to questions from National Indigenous Times on how this new role aligns with the proposal of a Royal Commission experts and advocates say is not needed.