Lidia Thorpe
Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 1973) is an 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. She had also served as the Greens' deputy leader in the Senate from June to October 2022.
Lidia Thorpe | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Victoria | |
| Assumed office 4 September 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Di Natale |
| Deputy Leader of the Greens in the Senate | |
| In office 10 June 2022 – 20 October 2022 | |
| Leader | Adam Bandt |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Northcote | |
| In office 18 November 2017 – 24 November 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Fiona Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Kat Theophanous |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lidia Alma Thorpe 1973 (age 50–51) Carlton, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Independent (since 2023) |
| Other political affiliations | Greens (until 2023) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Alma Thorpe (grandmother) |
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 and served as the member for the division of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2018.
Thorpe has received media attention for her criticism of the legitimacy of Australian political institutions, which she views as stemming from colonialism.