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Lidia Thorpe

Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 1973) is an Australian independent politician serving as a Senator for Victoria since 2020.^[1] Of Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung Aboriginal descent, she was raised in public housing in Melbourne and studied public policy at university.^[2] Thorpe entered politics as a member of the Australian Greens, becoming the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in a 2017 by-election for Northcote, where she held portfolios including Aboriginal justice, housing, and mental health before losing her seat in 2018.^[1] She was appointed to the federal Senate in 2020 following the resignation of Greens leader Richard Di Natale, marking her as the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria there; during her swearing-in, she held a message stick inscribed with marks for deaths in custody since 1991.^[2] In February 2023, Thorpe resigned from the Greens to sit as an independent, citing party pressure over the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, which she opposed in favor of prioritizing a treaty and recognition of Blak sovereignty—asserting that First Nations sovereignty was never ceded to the British Crown or Australian state.^[3] Her advocacy has included protests against the monarchy, such as altering her 2022 oath of allegiance to denounce the late Queen Elizabeth II as a "coloniser" and heckling King Charles III in Parliament in October 2024 with accusations of genocide and demands to return stolen land, leading to a Senate censure motion.^[4]^[5] In October 2025, she faced an Australian Federal Police investigation over remarks at a pro-Palestine rally interpreted as threatening to "burn down Parliament House," which she described as figurative.^[6]

Early Life and Background

Family Heritage and Childhood

Lidia Alma Thorpe was born on 18 August 1973 in Carlton, Victoria.^[1] She identifies as a descendant of the Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung peoples, with additional English and Irish ancestry.^[2]^[7] Thorpe was born into a family involved in Aboriginal community organizing, including as a granddaughter of activist Alma Thorpe, who advocated for Indigenous rights in Victoria.^[8]^[7] Thorpe grew up in public housing estates in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs, including Collingwood and Fitzroy, amid experiences of poverty and systemic challenges faced by Indigenous families.^[7]^[8] Her early life included becoming a mother at age 17 and surviving domestic violence, which contributed to her later focus on advocacy for marginalized communities.^[7] Raised in an environment emphasizing self-advocacy, she was influenced by familial traditions of resistance against marginalization.^[9]

Education and Formative Influences

Thorpe left secondary school at age 14 after brief attendance at institutions including Fitzroy High School and Collingwood High.^[10] She returned to formal education later as a mature-age student, earning a Diploma in Community Development from Swinburne University of Technology in 2007.^[11] ^[1] Additionally, she completed a Graduate Certificate in Management (Public Policy) at La Trobe University and graduate qualifications from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.^[1] ^[9] These later educational pursuits followed periods of early workforce entry and single parenthood, equipping her with policy knowledge for advocacy roles.^[2] Her formative influences stemmed from a childhood in Melbourne's public housing amid socioeconomic hardship, within a lineage of Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung descent marked by intergenerational activism.^[9] ^[7] As granddaughter of Alma Thorpe, a pioneering Aboriginal rights organizer who established community services like laundromats and housing cooperatives in Fitzroy, she was immersed in grassroots Indigenous organizing from an early age.^[7] This family heritage, combined with personal experiences of domestic violence and welfare dependency, fostered her emphasis on self-advocacy and systemic critique over institutional reliance.^[2]

Pre-Political Career

Early Professional Roles and Activism

Thorpe held several professional positions in Indigenous community services and local government prior to entering elected politics. In 2010, she served as manager of the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Training Centre, an organization focused on vocational training for Aboriginal residents in eastern Victoria.^[1] She simultaneously acted as managing director of Victorian Aboriginal Events Management from 2010 to 2013, overseeing Indigenous-led event coordination.^[9] From 2011 to 2013, Thorpe worked as a manager at the East Gippsland Shire Council, contributing to regional projects that included Indigenous community engagement.^[1] Subsequently, she advised the Municipal Association of Victoria from 2013 to 2016 on Aboriginal employment and policy matters.^[1] These roles involved practical administration in public sector and community organizations, emphasizing Indigenous workforce development and local governance. Thorpe's activism centered on Indigenous rights, cultural recognition, and environmental issues. She co-chaired the Victorian NAIDOC Committee from 2014 to 2017, promoting National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee events to highlight Aboriginal history and achievements.^[11] As chief treaty negotiator for the Traditional Owner Land Justice Group in Victoria, she advocated for formal agreements between Indigenous groups and the state government on land rights.^[9] Additionally, she consulted for the Central Highlands Forest Campaign, opposing logging in areas significant to Indigenous heritage.^[9] Earlier in her career, while employed as an Indigenous manager at Centrelink, Thorpe resigned in protest against the Howard government's "welfare to work" policy reforms introduced in 2006, which she viewed as detrimental to Aboriginal self-determination by imposing work requirements on recipients.^[12] She also served on the boards of the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service and the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, influencing health and training initiatives for local Indigenous populations.^[13] These efforts reflected her grassroots commitment to addressing systemic barriers faced by Aboriginal communities in employment, housing, and land justice.

Business Ventures and Financial Bankruptcy

Prior to entering politics, Thorpe operated a small business that ultimately failed, contributing to her personal financial collapse. In 2013, she was declared bankrupt by the Federal Court of Australia, owing more than A$700,000 in total debts. These included loans from Indigenous Business Australia, a government-backed entity supporting Indigenous enterprises, as well as A$55,000 in unpaid taxes to the Australian Taxation Office.^[14]^[15] Thorpe publicly attributed the bankruptcy to the combined effects of the unsuccessful business and an abusive relationship, which she stated exacerbated her financial mismanagement during that period. The failure of the venture, which lacked publicly detailed operational specifics but involved debts tied to Indigenous business financing, led to the loss of her home through bank foreclosure. She retained only her vehicle amid the proceedings.^[16]^[15]^[17] Thorpe was discharged from bankruptcy in late 2016, approximately eight months prior to her successful candidacy in the Northcote by-election. Following her discharge, she established Clan Corporation, a new entity described as minimally active and focused on Indigenous-related activities, though it generated limited public commercial output. No further significant business ventures have been documented in available records.^[16]^[15]

State-Level Politics

Election to Victorian Legislative Assembly

Lidia Thorpe was endorsed as the Australian Greens candidate for the Northcote by-election in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, triggered by the death of Labor MP Fiona Richardson on 23 August 2017.^[18]^[1] The inner-Melbourne electorate of Northcote, traditionally a Labor stronghold since its creation in 1927, featured a contest primarily between the Greens and Labor, with the Liberal Party opting not to field a candidate.^[19]^[20] The campaign highlighted issues such as housing affordability, public transport, and local environmental concerns, with Thorpe emphasizing her Indigenous heritage and advocacy for social justice.^[21] On 18 November 2017, Thorpe won the seat after preferences, defeating Labor's Clare Burns with an 11% two-party-preferred swing away from Labor, marking the first time the Greens had captured Northcote from Labor.^[21]^[18] Her victory made her the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Victorian Parliament.^[22]^[21]

Legislative Tenure and Electoral Defeat

Thorpe served as the Member for Northcote in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 18 November 2017, following her by-election victory, until 23 November 2018.^[23] As the first Aboriginal woman elected to Victorian Parliament, her tenure emphasized advocacy for Indigenous sovereignty, environmental protection, and social equity, consistent with Australian Greens priorities.^[22] In her maiden speech on 18 December 2017, Thorpe highlighted her heritage and commitment to marginalized groups, declaring her intent to protect land sustained by Aboriginal peoples for millennia and to represent those "not being counted" without compromise.^[24] She contributed to parliamentary debates on issues including housing policy, public transport infrastructure in inner Melbourne, and advancing Victorian treaty negotiations with First Nations peoples, though the Greens held only a single lower house seat in a Labor-dominated assembly, limiting opportunities for legislative passage.^[25] No major bills sponsored by Thorpe were enacted during her term, reflecting the brevity of her service—spanning approximately one year—and the opposition's minority status.^[23] Thorpe's parliamentary record drew limited public scrutiny for controversies specific to her state role, with attention primarily on her historic election rather than substantive policy disputes.^[18] At the 24 November 2018 Victorian state election, Thorpe sought re-election but was defeated by Labor candidate Claire Keast, who won the seat on a two-party-preferred basis. Thorpe secured 16,816 first-preference votes, equating to 39.52% of the total, down from the Greens' by-election margin amid a statewide swing against the party.^[26] The Greens' overall losses, including Northcote, were attributed by party figures to campaign missteps and unrelated scandals involving other members, prompting internal reflection.^[27] Thorpe expressed disappointment but affirmed continued grassroots activism for Indigenous Victorians post-defeat.^[28]

Federal Senate Career

Entry into Senate and Greens Affiliation

Following her tenure in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Lidia Thorpe resigned her state seat in August 2020 to pursue a federal political career.^[29] The Australian Greens in Victoria selected her through a statewide member ballot in June 2020 to fill the casual vacancy in the Senate created by the resignation of Richard Di Natale, who retired effective September 2020.^[30] Thorpe was appointed to the Senate by the Governor-General on 4 September 2020, becoming the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria in the federal parliament.^[1] As a member of the Australian Greens, Thorpe was sworn into the Senate on 6 October 2020 and immediately assumed the role of the party's spokesperson for First Nations affairs, justice, and sport from 9 September 2020.^[1] She also served as Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens in the Senate starting from 10 June 2021.^[1] At the 2022 federal election held on 21 May 2022, Thorpe was re-elected as the lead Greens candidate for Victoria, securing a full six-year term commencing 1 July 2022 and expiring 30 June 2028.^[31]

Internal Party Conflicts and Resignations

In October 2022, Thorpe resigned as deputy leader of the Australian Greens in the Senate amid revelations of her undisclosed personal relationship with Dean Martin, former national president of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle club.^[32] The relationship, which occurred while Thorpe served on a parliamentary committee scrutinizing laws against organized crime, raised concerns among her staff and party colleagues about potential conflicts of interest and breaches of disclosure protocols.^[33] ^[34] Greens leader Adam Bandt publicly criticized the omission as a "significant lack of judgment," prompting an internal party investigation into her conduct.^[32] Tensions within the Greens escalated over policy divergences, particularly on Indigenous affairs and foreign policy. Thorpe's advocacy for uncompromising Indigenous sovereignty, including opposition to compromises on treaty processes, clashed with the party's broader platform, which sought alliances with Labor on reforms like the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.^[35] These disputes culminated on 6 February 2023, when Thorpe resigned her Greens membership to sit as an independent senator, stating she could no longer align with the party's support for the Voice referendum, which she viewed as insufficiently addressing sovereignty and failing to prioritize treaty-making with First Nations.^[36] ^[3] Bandt acknowledged the resignation, emphasizing the Greens' ongoing commitment to the Voice while expressing respect for Thorpe's contributions on Indigenous justice.^[37] Following her departure, Thorpe alleged systemic racism and bullying within the Greens, claiming party members undermined her authority on Indigenous issues and subjected her to discriminatory treatment that contributed to her exit.^[38] In May 2023, she announced plans to lodge a formal complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission, describing experiences of being "bullied and undermined" by colleagues who dismissed her sovereignty-focused positions.^[39] These accusations highlighted deeper factional rifts, with Thorpe positioning herself as a more radical voice for black sovereignty outside the party's institutional constraints.^[35] The Greens disputed the characterizations, maintaining that internal processes had addressed concerns, though no public resolution to the complaint has been detailed as of late 2024.^[38]

Core Political Positions

Indigenous Sovereignty, Treaty, and Anti-Colonialism

Thorpe asserts that First Nations sovereignty over Australian lands was never ceded to British colonizers or the Australian state, viewing it as an inherent, ongoing authority derived from spiritual and custodial connections to Country, including land, waters, and ecosystems.^[40] ^[41] This position underpins her promotion of the Blak Sovereign Movement, which she describes as resistance to ongoing colonization and a demand for recognition of pre-existing Indigenous governance structures that coexist with, but are not extinguished by, settler institutions.^[42] ^[43] In February 2023, she resigned from the Australian Greens to sit as an independent on the Senate crossbench, citing the need to prioritize this sovereignty agenda without party constraints, including opposition to constitutional changes that might imply its dilution.^[44] Central to her sovereignty advocacy is the call for bilateral treaties between the Australian government and sovereign First Nations, which she argues must precede any formal recognition to affirm unceded authority and enable reparative processes like land returns and truth-telling about historical dispossession.^[45] Thorpe emphasizes that Australia remains unique among former British colonies in lacking such treaties, positioning them as a framework for systemic healing from colonial legacies, including the abolition of structures like the Native Title Act that she sees as inadequate substitutes. She advocates for treaties negotiated at local and regional levels by First Nations communities, rather than centralized federal processes, to respect diverse Indigenous laws and avoid further erosion of autonomy.^[46] In parliamentary submissions, she has linked treaty-making to addressing underlying oppression, insisting it would validate sovereignty as the foundational principle for future relations.^[45] Thorpe's anti-colonial stance manifests in public disruptions and rhetoric framing Australia as an invaded and occupied territory built on genocide and theft, rejecting the legitimacy of institutions tied to the British Crown.^[47] On October 21, 2024, during King Charles III's address to the Australian Parliament, she heckled the monarch with declarations such as "You are not my king," "Australia is a colony, invaded, occupied," and "You committed genocide against our people," while attempting to serve a "notice of complicity in Aboriginal Genocide" and demanding return of stolen lands, remains, and resources.^[48] ^[49] She has characterized subsequent Senate censures and suspensions for such actions as "disciplinary colonial actions" worn as badges of honor, underscoring her commitment to vocal resistance against monarchical symbols of dispossession.^[50] ^[51] Thorpe distinguishes her sovereignty claims from pseudolegal "sovereign citizen" theories, which she has publicly denounced in Parliament as unrelated to genuine First Nations assertions of unceded rights.^[52]

Critique of the 2023 Indigenous Voice Referendum

Thorpe, who resigned from the Australian Greens in February 2023 partly due to the party's endorsement of the Voice proposal, characterized the advisory body as a "powerless" mechanism that would entrench Indigenous representation within the existing constitutional framework without delivering meaningful authority or systemic change.^[53]^[54] She argued that the referendum process itself inflicted "harm and division" among First Nations communities, advocating instead for its cancellation to prioritize treaty negotiations and truth-telling processes that could address sovereignty and historical injustices directly.^[55]^[56] In public statements, Thorpe dismissed the Voice as mere "window dressing" and an "easy way to fake progress," contending it distracted from resolving entrenched issues like inadequate housing, healthcare, and education in remote Indigenous areas, where parliamentary consultations would yield no enforceable outcomes.^[53]^[57] During visits to Northern Territory communities in September 2023, she urged residents to vote No, emphasizing that the proposal failed to empower local decision-making or challenge colonial structures, instead risking assimilation into a system that perpetuated dependency.^[57]^[58] As a prominent figure in the Blak Sovereign Movement, Thorpe maintained that the Voice contravened ancient Indigenous protocols by seeking constitutional recognition without first securing treaties or acknowledging ongoing sovereignty, positioning it as a superficial reform that undermined demands for self-determination.^[59] She later extended her opposition to a potential legislated version of the Voice following the referendum's defeat on October 14, 2023, reiterating that advisory models, whether enshrined or statutory, diverted resources from treaty processes essential for genuine reconciliation.^[60]^[61] Thorpe also critiqued elements of the No campaign for misusing her statements, labeling groups like Advance Australia "deceptive" in May 2023 for selectively quoting her to bolster conservative opposition, though she aligned with progressive critiques favoring structural over symbolic change.^[62] Her stance reflected a broader insistence on causal priorities—treaty before voice—rooted in the view that advisory input alone could not alter power imbalances without addressing land rights and jurisdictional autonomy.^[63]^[64]

Rejection of Constitutional Monarchy

Lidia Thorpe has articulated a rejection of Australia's constitutional monarchy, contending that the British Crown's assertion of sovereignty lacks legitimacy due to the absence of treaties with Indigenous nations and the historical dispossession of First Nations lands.^[58] She has linked this stance to broader demands for Indigenous sovereignty, arguing that constitutional recognition of the monarch perpetuates colonial structures without addressing underlying injustices.^[65] In May 2023, Thorpe co-signed an open letter with other Commonwealth Indigenous leaders urging King Charles III to apologize for the effects of colonization and provide reparations, framing the monarchy as complicit in ongoing harms to Indigenous peoples.^[66] ^[67] Thorpe has expressed conditional support for transitioning to a republic, stating in October 2024 that while she favors abolishing the monarchy, Australia must first prioritize treaties and recognition of First Nations peoples over mere republican reforms.^[58] She has separately sought direct engagement with the monarch, writing to King Charles in 2023 to request a meeting for discussions on treaty-making, underscoring her view that the Crown bears responsibility for rectifying historical sovereignty claims.^[40] This position manifested prominently during King Charles III's visit to Canberra on 21 October 2024, when Thorpe disrupted a parliamentary reception immediately after the King's address to both houses of Parliament.^[47] Approaching the royal couple, she shouted, "You are not our king," "This is not your land," and accused the monarchy of committing genocide against Indigenous Australians, while demanding the return of stolen lands and a treaty.^[49] ^[68] Security personnel escorted her from the event amid the disruption.^[47] In a subsequent statement, Thorpe described the incident as necessary truth-telling, asserting that "this colony is built on stolen land, stolen wealth and stolen lives" and reiterating calls to dismantle monarchical ties in favor of Indigenous-led governance frameworks.^[65] The Australian Senate formally censured Thorpe on 18 November 2024 for her actions, with a motion passing that expressed disapproval of the protest as disrespectful to parliamentary proceedings and the office of the King.^[69] ^[51] Thorpe responded defiantly, tearing up a printed copy of the censure during the session and declaring she would repeat the protest, emphasizing her oath of allegiance to the Australian people rather than the monarch.^[70] This event highlighted tensions between her advocacy for decolonization and institutional norms upholding the constitutional framework.^[69]

Major Controversies and Disruptions

Association with Outlaw Motorcycle Club Leader

In 2021, Senator Lidia Thorpe entered into a personal relationship with Dean Martin, the former president of the Victorian chapter of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG), while serving on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, which scrutinizes activities including those of OMCGs.^[33]^[71] The relationship was not disclosed to committee members or her party, prompting concerns from her staff about potential conflicts of interest, as Martin had a history of involvement in the gang's operations despite claiming to have severed ties.^[33]^[72] Thorpe stated that she met Martin through Blak activism networks and that he assured her of no ongoing OMCG affiliations, but the association raised questions about her impartiality on gang-related inquiries.^[73] The matter surfaced publicly on October 19, 2022, when ABC News reported the undisclosed relationship, leading Thorpe to confirm it in a statement, describing it as brief and ended, while maintaining she remained friends with Martin.^[33]^[71] As a result, Greens leader Adam Bandt removed her from the deputy Senate leadership role on October 20, 2022, citing a failure to disclose the connection amid ongoing committee work on OMCG laws.^[74]^[72] Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for her resignation from Parliament, arguing the association compromised her oversight of bikie gang policies.^[75] In March 2023, Thorpe revised her account during a Senate privileges committee investigation, denying any romantic dating and claiming the relationship consisted of a single kiss at a rally, while alleging Greens lawyers had advised her to publicly admit to dating to mitigate media scrutiny.^[76]^[77] The committee cleared her of contempt of Parliament on March 7, 2023, finding no deliberate misleading but noting the initial non-disclosure as a procedural lapse without inquiring deeply into OMCG specifics during her tenure.^[78]^[76] Thorpe's association resurfaced in July 2024 when she publicly opposed Martin's pending deportation to New Zealand, referring to him as her "ex-partner" and arguing on Aboriginal heritage grounds that he qualified for Australian protection, despite his New Zealand origins and prior bikie leadership.^[79]^[80] This intervention highlighted ongoing personal ties, as Martin—uncle to AFL player Dustin Martin—faced removal under character grounds linked to his Rebels history.^[81]

Sexual Assault Allegation Against Senator

On 14 June 2023, during a Senate debate on the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe interrupted Liberal Senator David Van as he addressed parliamentary standards and respect, accusing him of having "harassed" and "sexually assaulted" her.^[82]^[83] Thorpe stated, "I’m feeling really uncomfortable when a perpetrator is speaking about violence... this person harassed me, sexually assaulted me," invoking parliamentary privilege which shields members from defamation suits for statements made in the chamber.^[82] Van immediately rejected the accusation, responding, "I utterly reject that statement, that disgusting statement outright. It is just not true," and later described it as "outrageous and reprehensible" in a formal statement, noting that his lawyers had contacted Thorpe's office.^[82]^[83] The Senate President, Sue Lines, ruled the remarks unparliamentary and ordered their withdrawal, prompting Thorpe to comply later that evening by stating, "In order to comply with the parliamentary standing orders, I withdraw those remarks."^[82]^[84] The following day, 15 June 2023, Thorpe addressed the Senate again, alleging she had been "followed" and "inappropriately touched" in a Parliament House stairwell but did not explicitly link this to Van or provide further details on the original claim against him.^[85]^[83] Van maintained his denial of any misconduct toward Thorpe, emphasizing the absence of prior formal complaints from her.^[83] No police report, internal investigation, or corroborating evidence regarding the specific accusation against Van was publicly disclosed or pursued following the withdrawal.^[82]^[83] The incident drew attention amid broader discussions of workplace safety in Parliament House, where a 2021 inquiry had identified high rates of sexual harassment among staff, but Thorpe's allegation remained unsubstantiated beyond her initial interjection and was not upheld after retraction.^[83] Van faced separate misconduct claims from other women around the same period, leading to his temporary loss of the Liberal Party whip, though these were distinct from Thorpe's withdrawn assertion.^[83] Thorpe later claimed she faced demonization for raising sexual assault issues in parliament, attributing it partly to racial bias in media coverage.^[86]

Parliamentary Disruptions, Heckling, and Senate Sanctions

During a parliamentary reception on 21 October 2024, Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe disrupted proceedings following King Charles III's address to Australia's Parliament House by shouting phrases including "You are not my King," "You committed genocide against our people," and demands for a treaty with Indigenous nations, leading to her escorted removal from the chamber.^[48]^[87]^[47] Thorpe later defended the outburst as necessary to highlight unceded Indigenous sovereignty and historical injustices, stating she would repeat it.^[47]^[70] The Senate responded with a censure motion against Thorpe on 18 November 2024, passed 46 votes to 12, condemning her interruption as disrespectful to the monarch and parliamentary decorum while acknowledging her right to protest but criticizing the manner.^[69]^[70]^[88] Thorpe rejected the censure, ripping up a copy of the motion in the chamber and affirming her commitment to Indigenous advocacy over institutional protocols.^[70] On 27 November 2024, Thorpe faced further disruption charges during a Senate debate when she tore up a motion proposed by One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson and appeared to throw the pieces toward her, amid exchanges involving accusations of racism and inappropriate comments described by the chamber president as abusive.^[89]^[90] The Senate invoked Standing Order 197, an infrequently used rule for disorderly conduct, to suspend Thorpe until the close of business on 28 November 2024 by a vote of 33 to 15, marking a rare application of this archaic provision.^[91]^[89] Thorpe characterized the suspension as a "disciplinary colonial action" intended to silence discourse on genocide and Indigenous issues, wearing it as a "badge of honour" and decrying Parliament House as a "very violent workplace."^[50]^[91]

Personal Security Incidents

2024 Physical Assault and Aftermath

On May 25, 2024, Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe was allegedly assaulted outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground following an Australian Football League match.^[92]^[93] The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m., after which Thorpe reported the matter to police the following day.^[92] Victoria Police initially described the victim's injuries as minor.^[92] Thorpe sustained nerve and spinal injuries to her neck, which she stated required surgical intervention including the insertion of a plate; these injuries were disclosed publicly in October 2024 amid scrutiny over her parliamentary attendance.^[92]^[93] On July 25, 2024, police arrested and charged 27-year-old Ebony Bell, a woman from Preston, Melbourne, with two counts of recklessly causing injury and three counts of unlawful assault; Bell, identified as a Koori woman, was granted bail.^[92]^[94]^[93] Bell appeared via video link in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on October 28, 2024, where her lawyer raised concerns about recent threats against her, prompting the remote appearance; she remains on bail with a next hearing scheduled for November 22, 2024.^[94]^[93] Thorpe cited the assault's aftermath, including recovery from surgery, as the reason for missing approximately one-third of Senate sitting days earlier in 2024, stating she had no issue with the absences given the circumstances.^[92] She requested privacy regarding the matter but addressed it publicly due to media inquiries, emphasizing she would not provide further comment.^[92]

Additional Roles and Public Engagements

Activism Beyond Parliament

Thorpe has actively promoted the Blak Sovereign Movement, a grassroots Indigenous initiative rejecting the legitimacy of Australian sovereignty and advocating for treaty-based recognition of pre-colonial nationhood, stating in February 2023 that amplifying it was her primary motivation for departing the Greens party.^[41]^[95] She has expressed solidarity with related groups, including the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, praising their role in disrupting the Australia Day parade in Melbourne on January 21, 2023.^[96] Prior to and alongside her parliamentary tenure, Thorpe participated in the prolonged campaign to protect Djab Wurrung sacred sites, including over 260 culturally significant trees threatened by the Western Highway duplication project in western Victoria. Protesters maintained an 18-month vigil starting in 2018, which Thorpe supported through public advocacy, highlighting the destruction of a key birthing tree on October 26, 2020, as an act of cultural desecration; she later condemned vandalism of another such tree in August 2023.^[97]^[98]^[99] Thorpe frequently addresses Invasion Day rallies in Melbourne, reframing Australia Day as a commemoration of invasion and colonization. On January 26, 2023, she spoke to thousands, wielding a traditional war stick and prioritizing treaty negotiations over the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, urging an end to what she described as ongoing war against Indigenous peoples.^[100]^[101] Similar speeches at prior events, including 2021, emphasized resistance to assimilation and demands for sovereignty.^[102] In September 2022, during the national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, Thorpe led or addressed anti-monarchy protests in Melbourne, calling for the abolition of ties to the British Crown as a step toward Indigenous self-determination.^[103]^[104] She has also spoken at pro-Palestine rallies, including one outside the Victorian Labor conference on May 17, 2024, and a large gathering in Melbourne on October 7, 2024; remarks from a subsequent event prompted an Australian Federal Police investigation in October 2025 for potential incitement.^[105]^[106]^[107] Through her website, Thorpe promotes the "Take the Treaty Pledge," encouraging public and governmental commitments to negotiate treaties with Indigenous nations, framing it as essential to resolving sovereignty disputes.^[108] In 2025, she rallied crossbench support against a neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty, a Djab Wurrung-associated site symbolizing resistance, demanding its classification as a hate crime.^[109]

Recognitions and Awards

Thorpe was awarded the Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership in 2008 by the Australian Indigenous Leadership Foundation, recognizing her early contributions to Indigenous community development and advocacy.^[9] In 2021, she was selected as a finalist for the George and Ethel Swinburne Social Impact Award at Swinburne University of Technology's Alumni Impact Awards, honoring her work in social justice and Indigenous rights as a senator.^[110]^[111]

Reception and Legacy

Support from Advocacy Circles

Thorpe has garnered backing from radical Indigenous sovereignty advocates, particularly within the Blak Sovereign Movement, which she has positioned herself as a key figure in since resigning from the Australian Greens on February 6, 2023, to advocate independently for perspectives rejecting the legitimacy of Australian sovereignty over First Nations lands.^[35] The movement, emphasizing treaty negotiations prior to any constitutional recognition, opposed the 2023 Indigenous Voice referendum as inadequate "window dressing" and released alternative proposals prioritizing truth-telling and land return, aligning with Thorpe's public stances.^[112] ^[42] This support manifests in shared campaigns against colonial institutions, with Thorpe described by movement adherents as a vocal parliamentary representative amplifying demands for self-determination unbound by federal frameworks.^[41] Advocates in these circles praise her disruptions, such as the October 21, 2024, heckling of King Charles III in Parliament House—where she accused him of genocide and rejected his sovereignty—as authentic expressions of ongoing resistance, contrasting with mainstream Indigenous organizations that endorsed the Voice.^[113] Thorpe subsequently stated she was supported by traditional owners in her actions, though this claim faced immediate pushback from some elders labeling it disrespectful.^[113] Beyond sovereignty-focused groups, isolated endorsements have come from environmental and human rights activists aligning with her opposition to projects like gas pipelines, viewing her Senate interventions as amplifying marginalized Indigenous voices against extractive industries.^[114] However, such support remains niche, often from progressive fringes critiquing institutional assimilation, rather than broad advocacy coalitions.^[115]

Criticisms from Political and Indigenous Leaders

Nova Peris, the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Australian federal Parliament, criticized Lidia Thorpe's October 21, 2024, outburst during King Charles III's parliamentary reception as "deeply disappointing," "embarrassing," and "disrespectful" to the nation and royal visitors, stating that it did not represent the views of all First Nations people and highlighting Thorpe's prior oath of allegiance to the Crown under the Constitution.^[116] Aunty Violet Sheridan, a 69-year-old Ngunnawal elder, rebuked Thorpe's yelling of phrases including "fuck the colony" during the same event as "disrespectful," asserting that Thorpe does not speak for her or her people and that such protests require an appropriate "time and place" rather than disrupting a ceremonial welcome on Ngunnawal land.^[113] Tom Calma, a Kungarakan elder and former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, described Thorpe's claims during the protest as inaccurate, noting that the monarch holds no authority in treaty negotiations between the Australian government and First Nations peoples.^[116] Earlier, in September 2022, Thorpe's former Greens chief of staff detailed a "truly awful" outburst by Thorpe during a meeting with two Indigenous elders from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, describing the incident as leaving staff "scared and in shock" amid heated exchanges over sovereignty issues, which underscored concerns about her interpersonal conduct in Indigenous forums.^[117] Political leaders across the spectrum have condemned Thorpe's actions and rhetoric. On October 12, 2025, her public declaration that she would "burn down Parliament House to make a point" while likening it to historical Indigenous resistance prompted bipartisan outrage, with figures including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton denouncing the threat as unacceptable and leading to an Australian Federal Police investigation into potential offenses.^[6] Following the King Charles disruption, Dutton again demanded Thorpe's resignation, labeling her sovereignty protests hypocritical given her elected role and salary from the parliamentary system she rejects.^[118] The Senate formally censured Thorpe on November 18, 2024, for breaching protocols during the royal event, a sanction supported by a majority of senators reflecting broad institutional disapproval of her repeated interruptions.

Broader Impact on Australian Discourse

Thorpe's persistent advocacy for Indigenous sovereignty and a treaty process has elevated these issues within Australian political discourse, particularly following the failure of the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, which received 60.06% 'No' votes on October 14, 2023. By framing the Voice as an inadequate measure that sidestepped unresolved questions of land rights and non-ceded sovereignty, Thorpe argued it represented "fake progress" and distracted from substantive decolonial reforms, a stance that gained retrospective validation amid post-referendum reflections on the need for treaty and truth-telling mechanisms.^[53] ^[63] Her resignation from the Greens in February 2023 over these sovereignty concerns underscored fractures within progressive and Indigenous leadership circles, prompting broader scrutiny of party alignments with First Nations priorities.^[3] The October 21, 2024, disruption of King Charles III's address to the Australian Parliament, where Thorpe shouted accusations of genocide and demands for treaty and land restitution, intensified national and international attention to Australia's lack of formal treaty agreements with Indigenous nations, a point she emphasized as central to unextinguished sovereignty claims dating to British colonization.^[47] ^[119] This incident, leading to her Senate censure on November 18, 2024, by a 29-25 vote, highlighted tensions between ceremonial protocols and calls for constitutional reckoning, with supporters viewing it as a necessary provocation against symbolic monarchy without reconciliation substance.^[69] ^[70] Critics, including government and opposition figures, labeled it "grandstanding" that undermined civility, yet it reinvigorated debates on the Crown's historical role in Indigenous dispossession, as evidenced by subsequent media coverage linking the event to stalled treaty processes in states like Victoria and New South Wales.^[120] ^[121] Thorpe's emphasis on "black sovereignty"—encompassing recognition of pre-colonial nationhood and rejection of parliamentary legitimacy without treaty—has influenced advocacy frameworks, such as her support for implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, positioning her as a counterpoint to assimilation-oriented reforms.^[41] ^[61] This approach has spurred discussions on alternative governance models, including greater Indigenous scrutiny of legislation, though it has also drawn accusations of fostering division by prioritizing confrontation over consensus-building in a federation lacking foundational treaties with any Indigenous group.^[44] ^[68] Overall, her interventions have sustained pressure on policymakers to address sovereignty beyond symbolic gestures, contributing to a polarized yet more explicit national conversation on colonial legacies as of late 2024.^[122]^[123]

Personal Life

Family Dynamics and Relationships

Lidia Thorpe was born on 2 August 1973 in Carlton, Victoria, to parents Roy Illingworth, of Irish descent, and Marjorie Thorpe, of Gunnai and Gunditjmara heritage; she was raised primarily in Collingwood public housing by her mother alongside siblings, within a family deeply involved in Aboriginal community organizing.^[124]^[125] Her maternal grandmother, Alma Thorpe, was a prominent Aboriginal rights activist who advocated for land rights and against the Stolen Generations, influencing the family's commitment to Indigenous advocacy.^[126] Thorpe's upbringing emphasized resilience amid socioeconomic challenges, though her father has contested narratives of hardship, claiming she was "spoilt" and received "everything she wanted" as a child.^[127] Thorpe maintains relationships with siblings active in Indigenous activism, including her sister Meriki Onus, co-founder of the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance collective, who has collaborated on protests but diverged politically, such as Onus supporting the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum while Thorpe opposed it.^[128] Other relatives, including cousins and her mother Marjorie, have pursued roles in Victorian treaty processes, with family members like Marjorie and Lisa Thorpe candidacy for the First Peoples' Assembly in 2023 elections, reflecting ongoing familial engagement in sovereignty and representation efforts despite internal variances.^[129]^[130] Thorpe has three adult children from multiple short-term relationships and, as of 2022, four grandchildren; she has described motherhood as central to her identity as a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung woman.^[2] Her past marriage ended amid her ex-husband's alcoholism and associated domestic violence, which she publicly detailed in 2022 as contributing to the union's breakdown, with the ex-husband corroborating the account of irreconcilable issues.^[33] Family dynamics reveal tensions, particularly with her father Illingworth, a Trump supporter who in April 2023 publicly labeled Thorpe "racist against white people" and critiqued her Indigenous advocacy as divisive, highlighting an estranged rapport marked by his rejection of her oppression narratives in favor of assertions of privilege in her youth.^[131]^[124] Despite activist solidarity among maternal kin, these paternal frictions underscore generational and ideological rifts within the broader family structure.

References

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Senator Lidia Thorpe - Parliament of Australia
Biography · State: Elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Northcote at by-election 2017, vice the Hon. F Richardson (deceased). Defeated 2018.
[2]
About - Senator Lidia Thorpe
She was the First Victorian Aboriginal person to be elected to the Federal Senate. Lidia carries on the legacy of her family, who are proud working class ...
[3]
Indigenous senator quits party over Australian referendum | AP News
Feb 5, 2023 · An Indigenous senator in Australia quit the minor Greens party on Monday in a disagreement over a referendum to be held this year that would create an ...
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Indigenous Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe blasts "colonizing ...
Aug 1, 2022 · Indigenous Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe blasts "colonizing" Queen Elizabeth in oath of office · Government shutdown stretches on as thousands ...
[5]
Australian Senate censures Indigenous member for King Charles ...
Nov 17, 2024 · Thorpe, who has disrupted previous events protesting over Britain's colonisation of Australia, had to retake her oath of office in 2022 after ...
[6]
Lidia Thorpe's 'burn down Parliament House' remark faces AFP probe
Oct 12, 2025 · The Australian Federal Police has issued a rare statement confirming it is investigating whether independent senator Lidia Thorpe broke any laws ...
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Lidia Thorpe: The Indigenous woman shaking up Australia
Feb 12, 2021 · In 2017, she was the first Indigenous person elected to parliament in the state of Victoria, a seat she ultimately lost a year later. The 48- ...Missing: career | Show results with:career
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Lidia Thorpe: who is the MP who accused King Charles of genocide ...
Oct 21, 2024 · In 2017 she was elected to the Victorian state parliament as a member of the progressive Greens party, becoming the first Indigenous woman to ...
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Lidia Thorpe | Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership
Growing up in Melbourne's inner north public housing flats, Lidia was raised to advocate for herself and those around her. In November 2017 Lidia became the ...
[10]
Senator Lidia Thorpe - Facebook
Apr 26, 2022 · Education · I left school at 14, but I went back as a mature age student and that helped prepare me for parliament. The Greens plan to abolish ...
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Lidia Thorpe for Kids
Lidia Alma Thorpe was born on 18 August 1973 in Carlton, Victoria. Her parents are Roy Illingworth and Marjorie Thorpe. She has English, Irish, Djab Wurrung, ...
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Lidia Thorpe, Member for Northcote - IndigenousX
Jul 22, 2018 · Lidia Thorpe MP has been an activist her entire life, whether it was resigning from Centrelink after the 'welfare to work' policy was introduced ...
[13]
What the first Aboriginal woman in Victoria's parliament had to ... - SBS
Lidia served on the Bairnsdale Regional Health Board and the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust managing the training centre. Lidia Thorpe's political engagement is ...
[14]
The rise and fall of Lidia Thorpe - Craig Hill
Feb 11, 2023 · She worked as a project manager with the East Gippsland Shire Council, Indigenous manager at Centrelink and manager at Lake Tyers Aboriginal ...
[15]
Bankruptcy plagues Greens by-election hope - Herald Sun
Oct 26, 2017 · Greens candidate for the Northcote by-election Lidia Thorpe has revealed an abusive relationship and failed business led to her being declared bankrupt in 2013.
[16]
How Senator Lidia Thorpe annoys the establishment
Apr 24, 2022 · Thorpe was discharged from the bankruptcy in 2016, eight months before the byelection. She says her financial problems were the direct result ...Missing: ventures | Show results with:ventures
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Inside the mind of Lidia Thorpe - The Sydney Morning Herald
Apr 11, 2025 · Bhathal had heard Thorpe, then chair of NAIDOC Victoria, deliver an impressive speech at a rally and their kids went to the same school. In ...<|separator|>
[18]
Northcote by-election: Greens win inner-city seat, Thorpe to become ...
Nov 18, 2017 · Greens candidate Lidia Thorpe will become the first Aboriginal woman in Victoria's Parliament after the party won the inner-city seat from ...
[19]
Greens claim historic victory, taking seat from Labor after 90 years
Nov 18, 2017 · Lidia Thorpe will now make history as the first Indigenous woman elected to the Victorian Parliament.<|separator|>
[20]
[PDF] 2017 Northcote By-election and composition of Victorian Parliament
Nov 18, 2017 · The result ended Labor incumbency in Northcote which has existed since the electorate's inception. The Liberal Party did not field a candidate.
[21]
Northcote byelection: Greens' Lidia Thorpe takes Melbourne seat ...
Nov 18, 2017 · Surprise 11% swing to Greens as Thorpe becomes first Indigenous woman elected to Victorian parliament.
[22]
Greens' Lidia Thorpe makes history after Northcote by-election win
Nov 18, 2017 · Lidia Thorpe makes history as the first Indigenous woman elected to Victorian Parliament after a huge swing of 13 per cent away from Labor.<|separator|>
[23]
Lidia Thorpe - Parliament of Victoria
Member of Victorian Parliament between 2017 and 2018. Lidia Thorpe Party represented Victorian Greens Electorate Northcote (18 November 2017 - 19 December 2018)
[24]
Lidia Thorpe: 'Being Aboriginal is not all I am, but it's the ... - Speakola
Dec 18, 2017 · Raised in Fitzroy, she left school at 12 to work in a shoe factory and support her family. Her mum, my great-grandmother Edna, came to the area ...
[25]
Lidia Thorpe 'finds her voice', the first Indigenous woman to do so in ...
Nov 28, 2017 · Greens MP to tell parliament: 'For those who feel they are not being counted ... I will fight for you ... I will never sell you out.'<|separator|>
[26]
2018 State election results | Victorian Electoral Commission
Candidate, Party, 1st pref votes, % of 1st pref votes. THORPE, Lidia, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, 16816, 39.52%. EDWARDS, Bryony, 444, 1.04%.Missing: defeat | Show results with:defeat
[27]
Greens need to take 'good look at ourselves', losing Victorian MP says
Nov 25, 2018 · Victorian Greens MP Lidia Thorpe, who looks to have lost the seat of Northcote just one year after winning it in a by-election, says the ...
[28]
Lidia Thorpe loses seat of Northcote | SBS NITV
Nov 26, 2018 · While disappointed, Ms Thorpe has promised to continue fighting for Victorian mob at a grassroots level, and hasn't ruled out putting her ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[29]
Greens announce Lidia Thorpe as Richard Di Natale's replacement ...
Jun 19, 2020 · The Greens have announced that former Victorian state MP Lidia Thorpe will take the Federal Senate seat being vacated by Richard Di Natale.
[30]
Greens welcome new senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe
Jun 20, 2020 · The Australian Greens have today announced that Lidia Thorpe will be the next Senator for Victoria, following a massive state-wide ballot of the Victorian ...
[31]
Senators—service expiry dates - Parliament of Australia
Australian Parliament House Security Pass Office · Sitting Calendar · Visit ... Thorpe, L.A., IND, Walsh, J.C., ALP. WA. 30 June 2028, 30 June 2031. Senator ...
[32]
Lidia Thorpe resigns as Greens deputy leader in Senate over ...
Oct 19, 2022 · Senator Lidia Thorpe has resigned as deputy leader of the Greens in the Senate over what leader Adam Bandt called a “significant lack of judgment”
[33]
Greens senator Lidia Thorpe admits to undisclosed relationship with ...
Oct 19, 2022 · Staffers to Lidia Thorpe were concerned about the risk of a perceived conflict of interest from her dating a former bikie while on the law ...
[34]
Calls for investigation into Lidia Thorpe's potential conflicts of interest
Oct 20, 2022 · Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe is facing an internal investigation and the prospect of parliamentary censure, following revelations she failed to disclose a ...
[35]
Lidia Thorpe quits Greens party to pursue black sovereignty
Feb 5, 2023 · Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has announced she is quitting the Greens and will move to the crossbench.Missing: welfare | Show results with:welfare
[36]
Senator Lidia Thorpe quits Greens over divisions on Voice to ...
Feb 5, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe has quit the federal Greens after failing to find common ground with her party on a Voice to Parliament.
[37]
Statement from Greens Leader Adam Bandt addressing Senator ...
Feb 6, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe has advised Greens Leader Adam Bandt of her decision to resign from the Australian Greens, but remain in the Senate.
[38]
Lidia Thorpe to lodge racism claim against Greens party with Human ...
May 27, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe says she will lodge a complaint to the Human Rights Commission against her former party, the Australian Greens, claiming she experienced ...
[39]
Why Lidia Thorpe is lodging a Human Rights Commission ... - SBS
May 28, 2023 · Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has accused the Greens of racism, and says she will lodge a case with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
[40]
Truth and Treaty in Australia, with Aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe
Mar 4, 2025 · Lidia: It must uphold the principles of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, so that if you want to destroy our land, there's a ...
[41]
What is 'black sovereignty'? The Indigenous movement Lidia Thorpe ...
Feb 6, 2023 · Senator Thorpe got her start in politics through black activism in Melbourne, elected first as the member for Northcote in the Victorian ...
[42]
Blak Sovereign Movement - Senator Lidia Thorpe
We are First Nations Elders, activists, academics and community workers that have been united by our work on the frontlines of the battle against colonisation.
[43]
A steady path to sovereignty? - Inside Story
Oct 6, 2023 · Yet Thorpe's formulation of Indigenous sovereignty includes these words: “Sovereignty has never been ceded, our sovereignty does not coexist ...
[44]
Why a voice to parliament won't affect First Nations sovereignty as ...
Jan 26, 2023 · The Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has vowed not to support the Indigenous voice to parliament unless she is “satisfied that First Nations sovereignty is not ...
[45]
Additional Comments from Senator Lidia Thorpe
It would acknowledge that First Nations Sovereignty was never ceded and be the framework going forward, enabling us to address the underlying oppression and ...
[46]
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/en/podcast-episode/understanding-treaty-in-australia-what-first-nations-people-want-you-to-know/xlgnfqdmq
[47]
Not my King, Australian senator Lidia Thorpe shouts at Charles - BBC
Oct 21, 2024 · An Australian senator has defended heckling King Charles and accusing him of genocide after he addressed Australia's Parliament House.Missing: early | Show results with:early
[48]
'You Are Not Our King': Charles III Heckled in Australia's Parliament
Oct 21, 2024 · “You are not our king,” shouted Lidia Thorpe, an Indigenous senator and activist for Aboriginal rights. “Give us our land back. Give us what you ...
[49]
'You are not my king,' Indigenous Australian senator tells King Charles
Oct 21, 2024 · Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonizers have taken Indigenous ...
[50]
Lidia Thorpe calls Senate suspension a 'disciplinary colonial action ...
Nov 28, 2024 · “I've got the day off today. I've been suspended, I've been censured and I wear those disciplinary colonial actions like a badge of honour,” ...Missing: anti- | Show results with:anti-
[51]
'I will not be silent': Australia censures senator for King Charles protest
Nov 18, 2024 · Australia's Senate has voted to censure Indigenous lawmaker Lidia Thorpe after she heckled Britain's King Charles III during his visit to parliament last month.
[52]
Lidia Thorpe denounces sovereign citizen theory - Crikey
Feb 14, 2025 · Lidia Thorpe has disavowed sovereign citizen beliefs she raised in a speech to Parliament, saying she unwittingly promoted the claims.
[53]
Lidia Thorpe says voice referendum should be called off and attacks ...
Aug 16, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe has called for the voice referendum to be called off, arguing it is an “easy way to fake progress” for First Nations people ...
[54]
Explainer: Indigenous people opposing Australia's Voice referendum
May 11, 2023 · She left the Greens earlier this year after disagreeing with the party's support for the Yes campaign. Thorpe argues that the Indigenous ...
[55]
Lidia Thorpe says voice to parliament is 'window dressing', wants ...
Aug 16, 2023 · Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says a referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament is causing 'harm and division'<|separator|>
[56]
https://www.theconversation.com/there-are-two-sides-to-the-no-campaign-on-the-voice-who-are-they-and-why-are-they-opposed-to-it-212362
[57]
Lidia Thorpe urges Indigenous communities to vote against Voice to ...
Sep 27, 2023 · Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe says remote Indigenous communities are crying out to be heard, but a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament will have no ...
[58]
Why Australian senator Lidia Thorpe heckled King Charles - BBC
Oct 21, 2024 · “I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear ... After criticism from other senators, she then repeated the oath as printed.
[59]
The Blak Sovereign Movement have said No to the Voice ... - SBS
Jun 20, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe, the independent senator and face of the BSM, told reporters that the Voice "is in violation of our ancient protocols. It is not a ...
[60]
Lidia Thorpe has walked back her support for a legislated Voice to ...
Oct 13, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe has walked back her support for a legislated Voice to Parliament just hours after accusing the Prime Minister of being “weak” for ruling out the ...
[61]
Lidia Thorpe, the UN Declaration and the mob out there - Inside Story
Mar 20, 2025 · Lidia Thorpe professes to champion distinct Indigenous rights. She often invokes “genocide” and other concepts from international law in her ...
[62]
Lidia Thorpe brands leading no group 'deceptive' for using her ...
May 23, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe has branded a leading no group in the referendum as “deceptive and underhanded” after her quotes critical of the Indigenous voice were ...
[63]
Lidia Thorpe says Australia's voice referendum should be called off
Aug 16, 2023 · Prominent senator says she does not believe the proposal will address the longstanding issues facing Aboriginal people.
[64]
The Aboriginal Australians Leading the Opposition to the Voice
Oct 11, 2023 · An outspoken independent senator who left the Green Party over dissent on the Voice, she says the measure would continue harmful policies of ...
[65]
Australian senator Lidia Thorpe confronted King Charles with a ...
Oct 22, 2024 · The Gurnai Gunditjmara and Djab-Wurrung woman accused the crown of a range of crimes against Indigenous people at Parliament House.
[66]
Commonwealth Indigenous leaders demand apology from the king ...
May 3, 2023 · Fellow Indigenous Australian Lidia Thorpe, who is an independent senator, also signed the letter. The letter, titled “apology, reparation ...
[67]
Indigenous people around the world have sent King Charles a letter ...
May 4, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe is among the famous faces demanding King Charles III apologise to First Nations people and compensate them for the disastrous effects of ...<|separator|>
[68]
Australian lawmaker confronts British royals: 'You are not my king'
Oct 21, 2024 · Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe shouted at the royal couple, “Give us our land back, give us what you stole,” as security officers moved to escort her away.
[69]
Lidia Thorpe: Australia senator censured for 'not my King' heckle - BBC
Nov 18, 2024 · Australian lawmakers have voted to censure an Aboriginal senator who heckled King Charles during his visit to Canberra last month, ...
[70]
Lidia Thorpe defiant after Senate censures her protest against King ...
Nov 17, 2024 · Lidia Thorpe has ripped up a paper copy of the Senate motion censuring her protest against King Charles, promising “I'll do it again” and saying she is not ...
[71]
Lidia Thorpe's relationship with ex-bikie should have been declared ...
Oct 20, 2022 · Thorpe said Martin's history with the Rebels was a “past connection”. “Obviously, I'm concerned about the criminal activities of outlaw ...
[72]
https://www.theconversation.com/lidia-thorpe-sacked-as-a-greens-deputy-leader-after-failing-to-disclose-relationship-with-bikie-figure-192947
[73]
Lidia Thorpe bikie scandal: senator says she'll keep fighting for treaty
Oct 25, 2022 · Senator Thorpe told the Senate on Tuesday she met the member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang through "black activism" before they "briefly ...
[74]
Thorpe admits ex-bikie relationship, loses Greens leadership job
Oct 20, 2022 · Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has been sacked as the party's deputy Senate leader ... association with outlaw motorcycle gangs. Bandt said the ...
[75]
Dutton says Thorpe must resign over relationship with ex-bikie boss
Oct 21, 2022 · ... Lidia Thorpe must leave parliament after ... outlaw motorcycle gang while sitting on a parliamentary committee that examines bikie gangs.
[76]
Lidia Thorpe denies dating former bikie boss and is cleared of ...
Mar 7, 2023 · The report said the law enforcement committee did not conduct a specific inquiry into outlaw motorcycle gangs during her membership, but that “ ...
[77]
Lidia Thorpe: Greens lawyers told me to say I dated bikie, senator says
Mar 7, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe said she “had no relationship” with ex-bikie boss Dean Martin, saying they shared only one kiss at a rally.
[78]
Senate probe clears Lidia Thorpe of contempt over undisclosed ...
Mar 7, 2023 · A parliamentary investigation into senator Lidia Thorpe's undisclosed relationship with former motorcycle gang leader Dean Martin has cleared her of contempt ...
[79]
Senator Lidia Thorpe says government made a 'mistake' in pending ...
Jul 24, 2024 · Mr Martin and Senator Thorpe had “briefly dated', which led to the Senator Thorpe standing down from a leadership position in the Greens party ...
[80]
Lidia Thorpe challenges deportation of ex partner Dean Martin ...
Jul 24, 2024 · Senator Lidia Thorpe says the Australian government cannot deport her ex Dean Martin, a former bikie boss and uncle of AFL legend Dustin Martin, ...<|separator|>
[81]
Australian senator fights to prevent former bikie boss's deportation to ...
Jul 25, 2024 · Martin and Thorpe briefly dated in 2021, something that reportedly alarmed her staff, since at the time she was on a parliamentary committee ...
[82]
Lidia Thorpe withdraws accusation made in parliament of sexual ...
Jun 14, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe has withdrawn allegations she made in parliament accusing Senate colleague David Van of harassment and sexual assault.
[83]
Australian Senator David Van denies third sexual misconduct claim
Jun 15, 2023 · Mr Lehrmann has denied sexually assaulting her. Australia parliament rape trial: 'I felt trapped'.
[84]
Lidia Thorpe withdraws sexual assault claim against Liberal senator
Jun 14, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe has withdrawn a sexual assault allegation she made against another senator under parliamentary privilege.
[85]
Lidia Thorpe says she was 'followed', 'inappropriately touched' in ...
Jun 16, 2023 · Addressing the Senate a day after withdrawing allegations accusing Senate colleague David Van of harassment and sexual assault - a claim he ...
[86]
Lidia Thorpe says she was 'demonised' after raising sexual assault ...
Jun 16, 2023 · The independent senator Lidia Thorpe has said she was “demonised” after raising allegations of sexual assault in the parliament.
[87]
King Charles heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe on visit to ...
Oct 21, 2024 · King Charles was accused of genocide by an Indigenous senator at Australia's Parliament House on Monday, moments after he delivered a speech.
[88]
Australian Senate censures Indigenous member for King Charles ...
Nov 18, 2024 · Thorpe, who has disrupted previous events protesting over Britain's colonization of Australia, had to retake her oath of office in 2022 ...
[89]
Lidia Thorpe suspended from Senate after appearing to throw paper ...
Nov 27, 2024 · Lidia Thorpe has been suspended from the Senate under an archaic and little-used rule of the chamber for making “inappropriate and sometimes abusive comments”.<|control11|><|separator|>
[90]
An ugly fracas in the Senate leads to suspension of Lidia Thorpe
Nov 27, 2024 · Three women senators were at the centre of the uproar, which culminated in the maverick Lidia Thorpe being suspended, after she had earlier thrown torn-up ...
[91]
Lidia Thorpe responds to extraordinary suspension from Senate
Nov 27, 2024 · Senator Lidia Thorpe says the Senate has punished her for speaking out against racism after she was extraordinarily suspended from the chamber ...
[92]
Lidia Thorpe alleges she was assaulted at a public event earlier this ...
Oct 24, 2024 · Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says she sustained serious injuries from an assault at a public event earlier this year.
[93]
Woman charged with assaulting Australian senator who shouted at ...
Oct 27, 2024 · A woman appeared in an Australian court on Monday charged with a May assault on the Indigenous senator who shouted at King Charles III during a royal reception ...
[94]
Woman accused of assaulting Lidia Thorpe concerned about 'recent ...
Oct 27, 2024 · ... assault. Thorpe alleges she was assaulted at a public event earlier in 2024. Police allege a woman was assaulted outside the Melbourne ...
[95]
Blak Sovereign Movement given a boost by Senator Lidia Thorpe
Feb 19, 2023 · She said her main motivation for leaving the Greens was “to grow and amplify the Blak Sovereign Movement across the nation".
[96]
Senator Lidia Thorpe on X: "Grassroots Blak activists in solidarity ...
Jan 21, 2023 · Grassroots Blak activists in solidarity with Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance successfully Abolish Aus Day Parade.<|separator|>
[97]
Lidia Thorpe Protecting the Djab Wurrung trees - The Saturday Paper
Aug 17, 2019 · Lidia Thorpe Protecting the Djab Wurrung trees ... On Thursday, Zellanach Djab Mara was arrested at the Djab Wurrung protection embassy.
[98]
Djab Wurrung tree: Anger over sacred Aboriginal tree bulldozed for ...
Oct 26, 2020 · The bulldozing of a sacred tree for Aboriginal people to clear land for a highway has sparked anger in Australia. Protesters have long camped at ...
[99]
Vandals damage Indigenous birthing tree sacred to Victoria's Djab ...
Aug 15, 2023 · The independent Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe on Tuesday said the attacks had caused great pain for Djab Wurrung elders, matriarchs and women.
[100]
Lidia Thorpe pushes for treaty at Invasion Day rally - The Guardian
Jan 26, 2023 · At the Invasion Day protest in Melbourne, the Greens senator Lidia Thorpe tells Guardian reporter Cait Kelly that Labor needs to prove that ...
[101]
'Nothing to celebrate': Invasion Day rallies draw thousands but ...
Jan 26, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe brandishes a war stick while speaking at the Melbourne Invasion Day rally · A protester holding a placard that reads 'No Pride In ...
[102]
Lidia Thorpe calls for sovereign Treaty at Invasion Day rally - SBS
Jan 26, 2023 · Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe delivered an impassioned plea for a sovereign Treaty at Melbourne's Invasion Day rally.<|separator|>
[103]
Thorpe leads protest in Melbourne – as it happened | Australia news ...
Anti-monarchy protests took place across the country, with federal Greens senator Lidia Thorpe addressing the demonstration in Melbourne. Optus suffered a ...Missing: organizations | Show results with:organizations
[104]
'Abolish the monarchy' protests held on Australian day of mourning ...
Sep 21, 2022 · Crowds have gathered across the country for 'abolish the monarchy' protests on the national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.Missing: organizations | Show results with:organizations
[105]
Victorian premier accuses pro-Palestine protesters of bringing ...
May 17, 2024 · Protesters had earlier been rallying outside, with Senator Lidia Thorpe and Brunswick MP Tim Read among speakers. As attendees arrived at the ...Missing: organizations | Show results with:organizations
[106]
Lidia Thorpe addresses large pro-Palestine rally in Naarm
Oct 7, 2024 · Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe addressed the large, pro-Palestine crowd in Naarm on Sunday. The protests saw thousands gathering in Naarm, as well as Sydney ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[107]
AFP investigates Senator Lidia Thorpe comments at pro-Palestinian ...
Oct 14, 2025 · AFP investigates Senator Lidia Thorpe comments at pro-Palestinian protest. 01:02. SBS News - Google - Shorts. Follow and Subscribe ...
[108]
Take the Treaty Pledge - Senator Lidia Thorpe
I join Senator Lidia Thorpe in calling on governments to take responsibility by embracing the long-overdue process of Truth-telling and Treaty.
[109]
https://www.lidiathorpe.com/mr_crossbench_letter_camp_sovereignty_attack
[110]
Swinburne celebrates Alumni Impact Awards 2021 winners at virtual ...
Oct 14, 2021 · Recognition of prior learning in the workplace · Study abroad in ... Lidia Thorpe - 2021 Social Impact Award Finalist. The three winners ...
[111]
2021 Winners and Finalists - Swinburne University
Technology Innovation Impact Award Winner. For a ... The George and Ethel Swinburne Social Impact Award Winner ... Lidia Thorpe. A Senator for Victoria, a proud ...
[112]
Lidia Thorpe's Blak sovereign movement releases its own Voice ...
Jul 20, 2023 · Senator Lidia Thorpe's Blak Sovereign Movement (BSM) has attacked the Voice to Parliament as "nothing but cheap window dressing", but also decried the "racist" ...
[113]
Indigenous elder scolds Lidia Thorpe for yelling 'disrespectful ...
Oct 21, 2024 · Indigenous elder scolds Lidia Thorpe for yelling 'disrespectful' comments at King Charles ... supported by traditional owners and that she had ...
[114]
[PDF] Respecting Nature through First Law - NationBuilder
In 2019,. ACF engaged Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai-Gunditjimara woman ... supported by ACF and other environmentalists, who would come and live on Country and.<|separator|>
[115]
The Voice: Lidia Thorpe and the 'Progressive No' - Jennifer Severn
Sep 30, 2023 · There's the 'Conservative No', also known as the 'Racist No', supported by ... Lidia Thorpe represents the Black Sovereign movement in Parliament.
[116]
First Nations Australians react to Lidia Thorpe's message to King ...
Oct 21, 2024 · Senator Thorpe's message to the British monarch was "deeply disappointing", "embarrassing" and "disrespectful", according to former senator and ...
[117]
Lidia Thorpe outburst with Indigenous elders revealed; Greens ...
Sep 27, 2022 · Greens senator Lidia Thorpe's former chief of staff says he was scared and appalled by her outburst in a meeting with two Indigenous ...
[118]
If Australians knew the whole truth about Indigenous history, Lidia ...
Oct 23, 2024 · If Australians knew the whole truth about Indigenous history, Lidia Thorpe's royal outburst would not have been a shock | Celeste Liddle | The ...Missing: early life
[119]
King Charles heckled by Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe at ...
Oct 20, 2024 · King Charles has been heckled by an Indigenous Australian senator, who called for a treaty and accused the crown of stealing Aboriginal land.Missing: activism | Show results with:activism
[120]
Politicians face criticism over remarks on Lidia Thorpe's ... - ABC News
our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people," said Senator Thorpe, who is Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab ...<|separator|>
[121]
Indigenous rights in Australia: the rôle of the Crown - Justice Info
Oct 28, 2024 · On a visit to Australia, King Charles III was challenged by a senator of Aboriginal origin, Lidia Thorpe, who accused Great Britain of ...
[122]
Full article: Issue agenda-setting in the voice to parliament referendum
Oct 14, 2024 · Thorpe described her opposition as a 'progressive No', arguing the Voice mechanism was inadequate to deliver sovereignty to First Nations people ...
[123]
Lidia Thorpe and civility policing | The Monthly
Both Lidia Thorpe's protest against King Charles and the subsequent civility policing served to demonstrate how the status quo continues without the Voice.
[124]
Inside Lidia Thorpe's relationship with her Trump supporter dad
Apr 21, 2023 · Inside Lidia Thorpe's VERY complicated relationship with her Trump supporter dad who publicly called her 'RACIST' - as he tells all about their private ...
[125]
Who is Lidia Thorpe? Australian senator who shared cartoon of King ...
Oct 22, 2024 · Thorpe, an Aboriginal woman of Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara descent, was born in 1973 and grew up in Housing Commission flats in ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[126]
Who is Lidia Thorpe, the Australian senator who heckled the King?
Oct 21, 2024 · Thorpe was born into a family of Aboriginal community organisers and activists and is a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung Indigenous woman.
[127]
'Spoilt': Lidia Thorpe got 'everything she wanted' growing up as a child
Apr 24, 2023 · Lidia Thorpe's father, Roy Illingworth, has refuted the Senator's claims that she was raised oppressed, claiming his daughter was “spoilt” ...
[128]
Voice referendum: Split in Lidia Thorpe's family as her sister reveals ...
Oct 4, 2023 · The controversial politician and her activist sister Meriki Onus have both, up until now, been leading lights in the 'progressive' movement ...
[129]
Lidia Thorpe's family in Voice 'take over' bid | Herald Sun
Apr 25, 2023 · Several family members of controversial Senator Lidia Thorpe are gunning to be elected to a powerful representative body tasked with negotiating ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[130]
Lidia Thorpe's cousins pursuing contentious Victorian treaty ...
Apr 24, 2023 · Alister Thorpe, also a cousin of Lidia Thorpe, is a current assembly member and Gunai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung man ...
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Lidia Thorpe's dad says she's racist against whites as she hits back ...
Apr 21, 2023 · Firebrand senator Lidia Thorpe's estranged father has given an extraordinary interview, where he says his proudly Indigenous daughter is “a very racist person”.