Senator Lidia Thorpe told to cover up shirt with ‘gammin’ slogan, as she opposes Voice to Parliament

Lidia Thorpe pointed at Pauline Hanson as she declared she wanted to “destroy the white supremacy that is represented in this place”.

Senator Lidia Thorpe declared that she would vote “No” to the Voice proposal before Parliament, describing it as nothing more than appeasing “white guilt”.

She said she was “ashamed” that she was not voting on a proposal to deliver a treaty and Indigenous seats in Parliament.

Pointing to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, she said she wanted to “destroy the white supremacy that is represented in this place.”

“This is a colonial institution. I’m here, yes, I’m here, to infiltrate it,’’ she said.

“I am here to rattle the cages, to destroy the white supremacy that is represented in this place.

Senator Thorpe, who now sits as an independent after splitting from the Greens, said she could not support a patronising and powerless advisory body.

“I’m here for five more years. I don’t need no one’s vote. I don’t need anyone’s white guilt,’’ she said.

“And that’s what this is about. It’s appeasing the white guilt in this country by giving the poor little black fellas a powerless advisory body.”

She slammed patronising political leaders who are only interested “in our culture when...you want to hang a painting in your Senate office.”

Senator Lidia Thorpe wore a shirt with the slang word ‘gammin’ emblazoned in white across the front. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Senate voted on Monday to pass the Constitutional Alteration Bill.

The Prime Minister will now set the date for the referendum on an Indigenous voice to Parliament.

The legislation means the clock is ticking for a vote of all Australians because it must be held within two to six months of the passage of the legislation.

“Well, happy assimilation day,’’ Senator Lidia Thorpe began.

“Sovereignty has never been ceded. But for the first time in this country’s history, people are starting to talk about sovereignty.

“You won’t acknowledge sovereignty in the racist Australian Constitution.

Senator Thorpe slammed Anthony Albanese who she described as “Albo” for being gutless.

“The Prime Minister has not even got the courage to come out and say that he wants a treaty,’’ she said.

“So nice, good little Aborigines with the Parliament supremacy over us at all times well Well done. Well done. It’s a final nail in the coffin.”

Speaking in the Senate, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the proposal would do nothing to solve entrenched problems.

“We don’t do it these days, but some of the children should because of the sexual abuse that is happening to them, but we turn a blind eye to it,’’ Senator Hanson said.

“We keep putting back the families. But we don’t do it to non Indigenous families. We take the children away. Is that right for children? The abuse, the alcohol and drug abuse, the sexual abuse. These are young children.

“Why is it my fault because I’m white. Why is it not the community’s fault? Why are we turning a blind eye to this?”.

“Just because you got to cave paintings, and your dreamtime, and you have this connection with the land. What about my connection with this land? What about the farmers?.”

Senator Thorpe gestured towards Pauline Hanson as she said: “I am here to rattle the cages, to destroy the white supremacy that is represented in this place”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Throughout her own speech, Senator Thorpe wore a T-shirt with the slogan “Gammin”.

Senate President Sue Lines admonished her for wearing the shirt, noting that slogans cannot be worn in the chamber.

“Senator Thorpe. Please resume your seat. I asked you respectfully, in fact, I ordered you to cover your shirt because any slogans that can be read by me are inappropriate,’’ Senator Lines said.

“So please don’t also refer to it.”

“Gammin, as we know, is fake, pretend, a joke,’’ Senator Thorpe continued after covering her shirt.

“And that’s what I think. A powerless voice. We have fought over 200 years against colonisation. The constitution is an illegal document. It’s illegal.

“The occupation in this country is illegal. You’re following the King.

“And now, poor little black fellas, are begging for a seat at the table and all we get is to become advisors is no power.

“Well, I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed. That we’re not standing here for a treaty or for some truth to happen in this country.”

“You’re not genuine. You wave your flag and wear your deadly black earrings and feel real good about it. Meanwhile, our children are being tortured. Our babies are being stolen from their mother’s arms.

“Why are we begging like paupers again to go in to a white racist colonial constitution that was set up to deny everything that we are to destroy our lands and our waters to destroy everything as quickly as they could to extract as much resource from stolen land, to dispossess us and make a nice life for yourselves?

“If you are genuine, give us Senate seats here, like they do in New Zealand. Have a treaty like they do.”

The Voice to Parliament is voted on in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the proposal would divide Australians forever.

She asked Australians to look at the route of the government’s proposal for a voice.

“Ask themselves if they truly believe that this is the answer? Will an extra layer of bureaucracy and red tape do anything more to help Indigenous Australians?,’’ she said.

“The Prime Minister wants us to blindly trust him to allow his blank cheque – he cannot guarantee anything.”

Oposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the proposal would “destroy one of our most fundamental values – equality of citizenship”.

“It’s risky, it’s unknown, it’s divisive and it’s permanent,’’ she said.

“We are opening up a legal can of worms. The proposed model as we know it is not just to the parliament but to all areas of executive government. It gives an unlimited scope.”