‘Locking up babies’: Senator Lidia Thorpe slams Qld’s new laws

A Qld university has been slammed after hosting a conference which was marred with anti-Semitism claims, Peter Dutton being accused of politicising the Jewish community and an attack by Lidia Thorpe.

Senator Lidia Thorpe in Brisbane for the 2025 National Symposium Unifying Anti-Racist Research and Action. Picture: Liam Kidston

Outspoken Senator Lidia Thorpe has accused the Queensland Government of “locking up babies” and being “genocidists”.

Ms Thorpe was one of more than 20 speakers at a controversial “anti-racism conference” on Thursday where she spoke about the “sovereign movement”.

The event, titled the National Symposium Unifying Anti-Racist Research and Action and hosted by the Queensland University of Technology, has come under fire its line-up, including three anti-Israel speakers.

Media were not allowed inside the auditorium for the symposium, but outside firebrand senator Ms Thorpe spoke to The Courier-Mail after addressing the event at which she spoke about the “sovereign movement”.

Ms Thorpe also took aim at Mr Dutton after he hit back on Thursday at comments she made earlier in the week, saying she should not be in the Senate.

“Who cares what Peter Dutton says. Who is Peter Dutton,” she said.

The Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“I’m in the Senate. He can’t do anything about it. Put up with it. Put up or shut up Dutton.”

She also criticised the Queensland Government’s Adult Crime Adult Time legislation, accusing the state of “locking up babies”.

“You can’t be as a 10-year-old found to be a criminal, their brains aren’t developed enough,” Ms Thorpe said.

“Children under 14 should not be in prison full stop.....There are only black kids that they’re picking on … the racism needs to stop. It needs to stop from the government.

“We have a government that are being outright racist, they are actually committing genocide by locking up children and taking children away. They are acts of genocide.”

Footage shared from the event showed Sarah Schwartz, who leads the controversial left-wing Jewish Council of Australia, speaking about “Dutton’s Jew”, accusing the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of politicising the Jewish community.

A slide show during her talk shows a superhero caricature with the letters DJ for Dutton’s Jew on its chest with dot points describing their traits including “anti-immigration”, “thinks of anti-Semitism as the only form of racism”, “scared of protesters” and “willing to hug Dutton for photo ops”.

“Dutton’s Jew has really, really helpfully provided the human shield for him to talk about some of his favourite topics,” Ms Schwartz said on stage.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies slammed the university for “another low” in anti-Semitism abelling it as “perverse and disturbing”.

“During a presentation delivered by a speaker from the Human Rights Law Centre, Jews were characterised as being hateful, racist and xenophobic – malevolently working with politicians for nefarious purposes,” the board posted to X.

“The presentation would not have been out of place in antisemitic gatherings throughout the ages. It contained it all - laughter as Jews were the subject of public mockery, images of Rabbis as the subject of ridicule and the baseless demonisation of a community which has done nothing to warrant such hatred.

“We are loathe to ever make comparisons with pre-war Germany, but these are scenes which would not have been out of place in Nazi propaganda or a 1930s Bavarian Beer Hall.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has been urged to intervene. Picture: Martin Ollman

The board said serious questions should must be asked about “whether taxpayer funds should continue to be provided to the Queensland University of Technology” after the hate speak was facilitated.

The board further urged Federal Education Minister Jason Clare to intervene.

“If he is unwilling or unable to do so – as has been the case for the past 15 months – then the Prime Minister must himself demonstrate his commitment to stamping out anti-Semitism by first dealing with the QUT and by then addressing rampant antisemitism across the university sector,” it read.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry also expressed outrage at what it describes as an overtly antisemitic image that was displayed at a so-called “comedy event” at the uni on Wednesday.

“QUT’s leadership have much to answer for. We warned QUT in advance that this symposium was likely to be abused to promote a hateful and extremist agenda that would include antisemitic discourse,” it said in a statement.

“We also put them on notice that such behaviour would give further impetus to the spate of violent antisemitic incidents that have recently shocked and disgusted our country.

“QUT leaders responded with a combination of astonishing ignorance, reckless indifference to consequence, and the usual vacuous platitudes about freedom of expression.”

The statement said the invent has been sent to the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Human Rights.

“Which is currently conducting an Inquiry into anti-Semitism at Australian universities. We expect the Inquiry to require those responsible at QUT for allowing the event to proceed, to attend before the Committee and account for their actions.”

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies Jason Steinberg criticised the event.

He said the JCA did not speak on behalf of the Queensland Jewish community or the Australian Jewish community.

“They don’t have a contingency, they don’t represent organisations, so they do not speak on behalf of the Queensland Jewish Community and Australian Jewish Community,” he said.

“They speak on behalf of themselves, and everyone’s entitled to a view. Free speech is one of the hallmarks of our society.”

Ms Schwartz told The Australian her speech “wasn’t about actual Jewish people” but rather a “critique of the language Peter Dutton” uses.

Queensland University of Technology has been approached for comment.

Originally published as ‘Locking up babies’: Senator Lidia Thorpe slams Qld’s new laws