An avowed radical,Thorpe joins the crossbench pledging to lead a black sovereignty movement in Australia in a move that weakens the Greens’ hold on the balance of power in the Senate and hands her a powerful bargaining position for her unpredictable agenda.
Senator Lidia Thorpe has quit the Greens Party to move to the crossbench.
Thorpe’s departure follows months of speculation about her political future in the Greens,after she used her position as the party’s First Nations spokeswoman to repeatedly criticise the Voice,which put her at odds with colleagues,and the party’s position to back all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Greens leader Adam Bandt pleaded with Thorpe to remain in the party,but the senator said her defection was necessary to speak freely on issues and lead a black sovereignty movement.
In a statement released after the Greens formalised their position on Monday evening,Bandt said:“The referendum will be an opportunity for the country to show its support for First Nations justice. A strong First Nations body would be a further step towards true self-determination and justice.”
The Greens leader said he did not think a ‘No’ vote “will get us closer to Treaty and Truth,but I respect that others in the First Nations community may have a different view on that”.
At Thorpe’s brief press conference,where she gave her notice and took no questions,she said:“My strength and conviction comes from a lifetime of activism,from my Ancestors and from my Matriarchs,who continue to say to me every day,keep infiltrating,keep your integrity,keep the fire burning,keep our fight alive.”
Thorpe on Monday committed to voting with the Greens on climate issues and said she had not resolved her final position on the Voice. But she signalled her likely opposition,saying she would not support it “unless I am satisfied that First Nations sovereignty is not ceded”.
Her approach to the rest of the government’s substantive agenda remains unclear. Her defection came just two years and five months after she entered the Senate,after replacing former Greens leader Richard Di Natale’s casual vacancy on September 4,2020. Thorpe was in May re-elected for another six years.
In a 2020 interview withThe Age following her election,Thorpe stated:“It is my people that have put me here. The Greens just stamped it.”
Indigenous senator Dorinda Cox is expected to take over the Greens’ First Nations portfolio.
Thorpe’s move to the crossbench will test her ongoing relationship with the Greens,as she and Bandt both said they would not comment further on her time in the party.
Bandt and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi praised Thorpe,and said she left the party with their respect and admiration,despite her defection robbing the Greens of a senator.
It reduces the Greens’ numbers from 12 to 11 on the Senate floor,meaning Labor will now need the Greens bloc plus two extra crossbench votes to pass legislation when it is opposed by the Coalition. In an unlikely scenario,Thorpe’s shift also means the Coalition and the crossbench could have the numbers to block the government’s agenda in the Senate even when Labor has the support of the Greens.
Greens leader Adam Bandt and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi on Monday.Alex Ellinghausen
Until now,Labor has relied on ACT senator David Pocock for the extra crossbench vote to pass laws,but Tasmania’s Jacqui Lambie and colleague Tammy Tyrrell will probably become more powerful on the crossbench if the government cannot negotiate with Thorpe.
Lambie praised Thorpe’s “guts” in joining the crossbench,saying it was the best way to represent constituents.
“No party lines,no talking points. Every time the crossbench grows,it’s a good thing. Representation gets more representative. Love to see it,” Lambie tweeted.
Lambie on Monday told Sky News she was unconvinced the Voice would deliver practical outcomes for Indigenous communities,and said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on notice to prove the proposal was more than “nice words”.
“I’m just trying to get my head around it like many other Australians out there. How is this gonna make Indigenous lives better? That’s what we want to know,” Lambie said.
Bandt conceded his efforts to convince Thorpe to stay in the party had been rebuffed,as she rejected a compromise deal that would have allowed her to remain as First Nations spokeswoman while carving out the,for which he would assume responsibility.
“I’ve just made it clear that I tried very hard to get Senator Thorpe to stay. I wanted her to stay,felt that there was a place for her in the party,” Bandt said.
Speculation around Thorpe’s impending split intensified after she did not attend a two-day retreat in Mount Macedon,Victoria,last week,when the party discussed its position on the Voice.
Thorpe’s office informed this masthead on Friday she attended the meeting remotely but,after sources confirmed she did not attend at all,her office later clarified that her absence was due to the death of a relative.
Her relationships with some Greens MPs became strained,including after she on the issue of the Voice.
Thorpe intends to lead what she describes as the black sovereignty movement,which opposes the Voice and seeks more ambitious forms of Indigenous advancement such as a treaty. Victoria has the smallest proportion of Indigenous Australians of any state or territory (1.2 per cent),and Greens voters back the Voice in far greater numbers than any other party.
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