Senator Lidia Thorpe has expressed no regrets about her recent suspension from the Senate, asserting that her punishment stems from her outspoken stance against racism. Thorpe, a former Greens senator, was suspended for the remainder of the sitting year after a dramatic incident in which she tore up a motion introduced by Senator Pauline Hanson and threw it at her. This altercation occurred after Hanson questioned the eligibility of Senator Fatima Payman to serve in parliament, leading to accusations of racism from Payman against Hanson, which she later withdrew. In a united front, members from the government, opposition, One Nation, and crossbenchers voted to suspend Thorpe until the end of the last sitting day of the year.
In interviews with ABC and Channel Nine, Thorpe lamented the Senate’s quickness to discipline her while failing to address the underlying racism. “They are quick to punish the black woman here all the time for calling it out, but I am responding to racism, and that is what they need to focus on,” she stated. Thorpe described the past week as challenging and reiterated her commitment to stand against racism, stating, “I ripped up a piece of paper.”
Thorpe accused Hanson of being a ‘convicted’ racist, recalling previous incidents where Hanson wore a burqa in the chamber and regularly provoked her with racial taunts. Earlier this month, Hanson was found to have racially vilified Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi through a derogatory tweet, a ruling which Hanson plans to appeal.
After Thorpe’s comments, Hanson issued a warning to media outlets about the potential legal consequences of repeating what she termed false claims made by Thorpe. She insisted that the allegations against her had never happened and requested an apology.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher condemned Thorpe’s actions, highlighting a pattern of aggressive behavior that escalated into physical disruption within the chamber. Gallagher emphasized that such conduct is unacceptable in any workplace, stating, “Nobody enjoyed what happened yesterday.”
Thorpe argued that her experiences illustrate the need for a formal inquiry into racism within parliament, pointing out the double standards applied to behavior in the Senate. “We’re the ones that are the naughty little black girl… but I will not sit there and be silent when people of colour are being attacked with racism,” she declared.
In response, Hanson criticized Thorpe’s actions as a disrespect to the institution of parliament, asserting that representatives should uphold the dignity of their roles.
Despite her suspension, Thorpe managed to return to the Senate and made a statement by raising her fist and shouting “Free Palestine” before leaving voluntarily, underscoring her defiance against the Senate’s decision.
