Lidia Thorpe stands firm despite suspension

• Lidia Thorpe has been a force to be reckoned with since her first steps into Parliament House.

• She began her political career as a Greens representative in Victoria's Legislative Assembly, serving the Northcote electorate. However, her tenure lasted only a year before she lost the seat to a Labor candidate in the 2018 state election.

• Thorpe later entered the federal arena, stepping into the Senate to fill the vacancy left by former Greens leader Richard Di Natale upon his resignation.

• The Remarkable Political Journey of Lidia Thorpe

  • In 2020, Lidia Thorpe was sworn into the Senate, holding a memory stick with a line etched for each of the 441 Indigenous lives lost in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission.

  • A proud Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung woman, she made history as the first Indigenous person to represent Victoria in the Senate.

  • Thorpe has been a vocal advocate on issues such as deaths in custody, colonization, and the socio-economic inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

  • In 2022, she faced scrutiny after failing to disclose her relationship with former bikie boss Dean Martin and referred herself to a parliamentary inquiry.

  • Known for her activism, Thorpe participated in protests, including a March 2023 incident where she was pinned to the ground by police after disrupting an anti-transgender rights event to support LGBTQI rights.

  • As Labor pushed for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Thorpe emerged as a leading progressive critic, arguing the proposal would not bring meaningful change for First Nations people. Her opposition led her to resign from the Greens in February 2023, allowing her to advocate independently for Indigenous justice and sovereignty.

  • In June 2023, she accused Liberal Senator David Van of harassment and sexual assault, with former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker corroborating similar allegations. Though Van denied the claims, he was expelled from the Liberal party room and later resigned from the party.

  • Thorpe disrupted a royal reception for King Charles and Queen Camilla in October, shouting that he was "not our king" and accusing him of genocide against Indigenous Australians. Her actions led to a formal censure by the Senate weeks later.

  • Most recently, on Wednesday, Senator Thorpe was suspended from the Senate after throwing pieces of paper at One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson during a heated exchange over racism.