Senator Lidia Thorpe has said she will use the Senate’s censure motion “for kindling”, after her protest against King Charles III’s visit to Canberra last month was deemed “disrespectful and disruptive”.
On Monday morning, the Upper House voted on a censure motion against the independent senator in light of her actions during the formal reception of the monarch on his visit to Australia.
Labor Senate leader Senator Penny Wong said Thorpe’s protest sought to “incite outrage and grievance” and create “storms on social media”.
The motion passed 46 votes to 12. While a censure motion has no practical implications, it acts as a symbol of serious disagreement and condemnation of a member’s actions.
Senator Lidia Thorpe was not present as the motion was being discussed by members, due to her flight to Canberra being delayed.
The Victorian Senator entered the chamber just as the motion was passed, demanding answers as to why she was “not allowed” to be in the Senate at the time.
“Shame on you all… I’ll do it again!” she declared, as the chamber was called to order.
After receiving the censure motion, Senator Thorpe spoke to the media, saying it is “not going to shut me down”.
“A censure motion is a piece of paper and a vote,” the Senator said.
“I don’t give a damn about a censure motion – in fact, I’m going to use it for kindling.”
In a nod to last Friday’s protest in the New Zealand Parliament, where a group of Māori MPs performed a haka in protest over a controversial bill, Senator Thorpe tore up the censure motion in front of reporters.
“You’ve only given me more exposure,” Thorpe said, speaking of the Senators who voted in favour of the motion.
“And if the colonising king were to come back to Australia, I would do it again.
“(The censure motion is a diversion away from the real issues in this country.
“If you want to condemn me for being a truth teller, then go for it. I’m proud that I stood up against the king coloniser; shame that he didn’t take the opportunity to apologise. So I’ll do it again. I’ll keep doing it.”
Senator Thorpe criticised the government for not delaying the censure motion until she arrived so she could be present for it.
The Greens senators all voted against the motion, backing Lidia Thorpe, who formerly represented the minor party.
In response to the censure motion, Senator Mehreen Faruqi said there is a “systemic issue” that is a “bubble of white privilege” in parliament
“That’s why we are here today, debating a Black senator being censured for telling the truth of the British crown’s genocide on First Nations people and telling it the way she wants to.”
After Thorpe’s censure motion was passed, the Senate then voted in favour of another censure motion, this time against United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet. Senator Babet’s flight was also delayed, and he was not present in the chamber for his censure motion.
Last week, he published posts on social media that has been described by Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham as “repugnant, abhorrent and have no place in proper, orderly, civil conduct”.