Australia’s first Indigenous Consul-General, Benson Saulo, has been selected to stand for the Liberal Party in the Federal seat of Macnamara at the next election.

Born to an Aboriginal mother and Papua New Guinean father, he is a descendant of the Wemba Wemba and Gunditijmara clans of Victoria, and of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea.Mr Saulo, who is a father of two young children, brings a wealth of experience from a professional career spanning finance, international relations, and economic development.

He is currently the Managing Partner of First Australians Capital, a national Indigenous-led investment fund manager.

In 2021 he was appointed as Australia’s Consul-General and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to Houston, Texas, the first Indigenous person to be appointed as a Consul-General in Australia’s history.

“I will bring a unique perspective to the Parliamentary Liberal Party across a range of areas. I can provide an experienced voice on Australia’s economic policy, energy transition, and the future of our foreign policy,” he said.

“As the Liberal candidate for Macnamara, I will concentrate on using my experience across finance and international trade to help ease pressure on Australia’s housing market, and bring inflation under control.”

“When I was younger, I was briefly a member of the Greens, but my views and perspectives have grown and matured since then. The Liberal Party best represents the aspirations of people like me, and the Australia that I want my children to grow up in.”