First Female Indigenous Senator Reacts to Lidia Thorpe’s Outburst at King Charles III as ‘Embarrassing’
The Senator was removed by security at Parliament House after interrupting a ceremony for King Charles III and yelling ‘You are not our king.’
The first Aboriginal Australian woman elected to the Australian parliament, Nova Peris, has expressed concern at the “disrespectful” outburst by Victorian Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe during a ceremony for King Charles III, who is on his first Australian tour as sovereign.
Thorpe was removed by Parliament House security offers on Oct. 21 after barging into a reception for King Charles and yelling “you are not our king.”
In a post to X, former Senator Peris said she was deeply disappointed by Thorpe’s actions.
Peris, also an Olympic gold medallist, said Thorpe’s actions do not reflect the manners or approach to reconciliation of Aboriginal Australians at large.
“They reflect only her, and it is important to clarify that the vast majority of us would not engage in this unconstructive confrontational way,” she said.
She extended her sincere apologies to King Charles and Queen Camilla on behalf of those who value mutual respect and the dignity of Australia.
“When King Charles visited Yolngu Country in 2018, he was welcomed with great respect and warmth by the traditional owners of the land, who honored him with a traditional ceremony,” she added.
Peris made these comments as a supporter for an Australian republic.
“For over two decades, I have supported the principle that Australia should one day become a republic. Indeed, as a former co-chair of the Australian Republican Movement I advocated strongly for this,” she said.
“However, it is crucial to acknowledge that such decisions are for the Australian people to make through democratic means—not through rude interruptions or public outbursts.”
“You are not sovereign. You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land,” she said.
“Give us a treaty, we want a treaty. This is not your land. Your are not my king. You are not our king.”
Thorpe was elected as a Greens Senator for Victoria in 2020 but resigned in 2023 amid the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and now sits on the crossbench.
King Pays Respect to First Nations Peoples
King Charles and Queen Camilla will end their Australian tour on Oct. 23, and will then travel to Samoa for a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The king appeared calm during the outburst at the Great Hall of Parliament House during the parliamentary reception hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
During his speech, he said he appreciated the Welcome to Country ceremony, which offered him the opportunity to pay his respects to the traditional owners on the lands.
King Charles noted the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and war on people and society.
“It requires more of our minds, our hearts and our hands. It also requires us to come together with courage, care, and compassion,” he said.
“The challenges we now face call us to show not only constancy and valor, but also humanity, empathy, and generosity of spirit.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the king’s response to the outburst, saying he was an incredible ambassador for the UK and the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth.
‘Utter Disrespect to King Charles’: Senator Babet
Meanwhile, United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet said King Charles and the Australian people should be demanding an apology from Thorpe.
The Australian Monarchist League also condemned the outburst, calling for Thorpe to resign from parliament.
“Her childish demonstration has done nothing to diminish the gratitude and pride that millions of Australians have for our country, its history, its peoples and its sound system of governance. In fact, it has likely only strengthened these feelings.”
Liberal Victoria Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Road and Road Safety Bev McArthur said Senator Thorpe’s outburst was disrespectful not just to King Charles, but to her parliamentary colleagues, the prime minister, the Parliament, and to all Australians.
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