Senator Lidia Thorpe has refused calls to step down following her heckling of King Charles in Parliament on Monday.
Following the king’s address to Parliament, Senator Thorpe approached his majesty and shouted “you are not our king” and accused the monarch of genocide before being escorted out of the room by security.
Thorpe has defended her conduct as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on her to resign, calling her “stunt” was “disrespectful”.
“I think there’s a very strong argument for somebody who doesn’t believe in the system but is willing to take a quarter of a million dollars a year from the system to resign in principle,” he said.
Thorpe also faced criticism from Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan whom welcomed King Charles in Parliament prior to Thorpe’s interjection.
“Lidia Thorpe does not speak for me and my people, and I’m sure she doesn’t speak for a lot of First Nations people,” she said. “It was disrespectful to come there and go on like that, there’s a time and place.”
Aunty Sheridan acknowledged there was “unfinished business” from colonisation that needed to be resolved but what was needed was a process of conversation and healing.
Senator Thorpe has stood by her conduct even after the extensive backlash and has referred to her speech as “global truth telling“.
The controversy has punctuated continuing failings to improve outcomes for Aboriginal people. The ABC reported in March of this year that recent data showed that only five out of 19 Close the Gap targets to address disadvantage faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were on track. The figures marked significant disparity in the life expectancies and data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found 32% of the prison population in Australia was first nations in 2022.
The content of the Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman’s interjection directed at King Charles was focused on Australia’s painful colonial legacy and called for a treaty with the Aboriginal people.
“Give us our land back,” she said in parliament. “Give us what you stole from us! Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty!”
Thorpe also deleted an illustration of a decapitated King Charles with her quote “you are not our king” that was posted to her Instagram. She claimed it was uploaded by a staff member without her knowledge and denied any attempt to “encourage violence”.
Despite the controversy and media frenzy regarding the heckling, King Charles’ Australian tour has continued without disruption while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the King for doing a “great job” when asked about Senator Thorpe’s interjection in parliament.
“Look, I think the king is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador not just for our country, but across the Commonwealth,” he said.
Lidia Thorpe has been outspoken about the impact of Australia’s colonisation on Aboriginal people throughout her political career. While she has rejected calls to step down she reaffirmed that she will not seek re-election on the completion of her term.
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