Lidia Alma Thorpe

Lidia Thorpe, 2020.

Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 1973) is an Australian independent politician. She has been a senator for Victoria since 2020 and is the first Aboriginal senator from that state. She was a member of the Australian Greens until February 2023 when she quit the party over disagreements concerning the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. She had also served as the Greens' deputy leader in the Senate from June to October 2022.

Thorpe has previously been a member of the Victorian Parliament. On winning the Northcote state by-election on 18 November 2017 she became the first Aboriginal woman elected to the state's parliament and served as the member for the division of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2018.

Thorpe has received media attention for her criticism of the legitimacy of Australian political institutions, which she views as stemming from colonialism.

Thorpe's father called her a racist person against white people in a 2023 interview with Andrew Bolt.

Hostility to Australia

Thorpe has demonstrated hostility to Australia on many occasions despite serving as an Australian senator.

June 2022

During an interview Thorpe said she was there to 'infiltrate' the Australian parliament and that the Australian flag had "no permission to be here". Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price denounced Thorpe's comments and called for her dismissal from parliament.

Thorpe gained media attention during her swearing-in ceremony. She added the words "the colonising" in the required Oath of Allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II by saying:

"I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the colonising Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia, Her heirs and successors according to law."

Thorpe was immediately criticised by fellow senators. After an instruction by Labor Senate president Sue Lines and interjections from others that the oath must be taken word-by-word, Thorpe recited the pledge once more while mispronouncing several words.

21 October 2024

Thorpe heckled King Charles III by shouting "This is not your land, you are not my King" and making claims of genocide against "our people", after he finished an address at Australia's Parliament House, as part of his royal visit to Australia. As she was escorted away by security, she was heard yelling "Fuck the Colony". Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan, who had been with the royals at an official greeting party the same day and was sitting in the Parliament House during Thorpe's protest, stated the heckling was "disrespectful" and that Lidia Thorpe does not speak for her and her people.

Thorpe's statements at this event constitute renunciation of her oath of allegiance to the crown. Under S42 of the Constitution this would make her ineligible to sit in parliament.

Other Controversies

May 2021

In a speech to Parliament, Thorpe commented negatively on new bail laws being introduced into the Northern Territory and made an assumption that the Attorney-General of the Northern Territory was a white male. The attorney-general, Selena Uibo, was an Aboriginal woman. Uibo stated that Thorpe was not qualified to speak on the Northern Territory's issues.

December 2021

Thorpe interjected to Liberal senator Hollie Hughes "at least I keep my legs shut", during a Senate discussion about people living with disabilities. When challenged on the remark, Thorpe told the Chamber: "I just got a view of something over there that disturbed me. But I'm happy to retract.” Hughes believed the statement was in reference to her autistic son, and was reportedly left in tears. Later in the evening, Thorpe admitted to "inappropriate remarks" and apologised, but denied any reference to Hughes's son.

Following a fire that damaged the Old Parliament House in Canberra, Thorpe was criticised for tweeting "Seems like the colonial system is burning down. Happy New Year everyone #AlwayswasAlwayswillBeAboriginalLand". The tweet was criticised by members of both the Coalition and Australian Labor Party. Thorpe deleted the tweet an hour later.

16 April 2023

Footage emerged of Thorpe in a verbal altercation with men outside a Melbourne strip club. Thorpe claimed the men provoked the altercation, while the manager of the club claimed she provoked the incident by approaching white patrons and telling them they had stolen her land.

Quotes

In reference to Australia:

"Fuck the colony"

See Also

• Hollie Hughes

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