Lidia Thorpe

Lidia Thorpe
Thorpe in 2020
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
4 September 2020
Preceded byRichard Di Natale
Deputy Leader of the Greens in the Senate
In office
10 June 2022 – 20 October 2022
LeaderAdam Bandt
Preceded byOffice established
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Northcote
In office
18 November 2017 – 24 November 2018
Preceded byFiona Richardson
Succeeded byKat Theophanous
Personal details
Born
Lidia Alma Thorpe

(1973-08-18) 18 August 1973 (age 51)[1]
Carlton, Victoria, Australia
Political partyIndependent (since 2023)
Other political
affiliations
Greens (until 2023)
Children3
RelativesAlma Thorpe (grandmother)
Robbie Thorpe (uncle)
Signature

Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 18 August 1973)[1] is an Aboriginal 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,[2] and became a key figure in the "progressive No" campaign for the Voice referendum in October 2023.[3] Thorpe 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 known Aboriginal woman elected to the state's parliament. She served as the member for the division of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2018.[4]

Thorpe has received media attention for her support of the Blak Sovereign Movement and her criticism of the legitimacy of Australian political institutions, which she views as the legacy of colonialism.[5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Rose was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Kolovos, Benita; Karp, Paul (6 February 2023). "Senator Lidia Thorpe quits Greens party to pursue black sovereignty". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  3. ^ Farmilo, Kathleen (7 October 2023). "These progressive No campaigners are looking beyond the vote. Here's what they want". SBS. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference smh240422 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Senator Lidia Thorpe makes international headlines after 'colonising Queen' oath". SBS. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.