Nunga man Ribnga Green has teamed up with former Sudanese refugee Zita Ngor in his campaign for a South Australian senate seat.
The former lawyer is hoping to broaden his appeal and the pair is speaking out on issues of racism and disadvantage.
"I want to be someone who can stand up and speak for people who are poor, marginalised, people who've been unlucky. And I want to do things to ensure there's diversity and inclusiveness in the way that Australia is governed,” Mr Green told NITV.
Zita Ngor, Australia's first female Sudanese political candidate, fled South Sudan as a refugee and later worked as a lawyer.
She said she expected to encounter racism on the campaign trail but hoped to be a catalyst for change.
"Greater discussion and greater openness around the issue of racism will allow us as a society together to move to a place where racism does not occur," she said.
Their policies include opposing foreign ownership of Australia's agricultural foodbowls, an issue that resonated personally with Mr Green.
"I want to extend the scope of my political experiences with my struggles for land rights to Australian land rights if you like, in terms of how foreign interests and ownership and control of agricultural lands is situated," he said.
But University of Adelaide political expert Professor Clement Macintyre said the pair's path to the senate posed many challenges.
"I think it's very, very hard for someone to break through like that unless they've got some form of label that strikes a chord with some voters and at the same time are able to benefit from a very fortuitous balance of votes and the right flow of preferences,” he said.
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