Lidia Thorpe fires up as Blak sovereigns back in ‘no’ vote

Lidia Thorpe has hit back after a journalist fired off questions about an organisation her family is heavily involved with, as she pushes for a ‘no’ vote.

Lidia Thorpe has hit back after being grilled on whether an organisation her family is closely involved with would help fund the ‘No’ vote for the Voice.

Senator Thorpe, holding a press conference alongside fellow “Blak sovereigns” a day after voting against holding a Voice to parliament referendum, would not answer questions put to her about whether Pay the Rent would fund the “no” campaign.

Senator Thorpe, as well as her sister, uncle, and grandmother all have some links to the collective, which since its establishment in the 1970s spends donated money at grassroots levels to help “pay the rent”.

In answering questions about her family’s ongoing role in the collective, and whether it would be donating to the No campaign, Senator Thorpe brushed off the journalist, instead saying it was set up to “address the effects of genocide”.

“I don’t have any decision making, and I don’t think your information is up to date,” she said.

Senator Lidia Thorpe was joined by members of the Blak Sovereign Movement in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Pressed further, and questioned about the financials and what else Pay the Rent pays for, Senator Thorpe said she didn’t have any details or access to the collective’s bank accounts.

“With all due respect, you’re one of the journalists that throws me under the bus all the time, so I’m going to just hold you for a moment,” she said, as the journalist asked her to answer the question.

“I don’t have any details, any bank accounts, I’ve never been a signatory to any bank accounts so you’ll have to follow that up with the Pay the Rent crew.”

As Senator Thorpe finished, one of her fellow Blak sovereigns said “how dare you insult us”, while Marianne Yoorgabilya Mackay called over her “this is what we’ve got to deal with”.

Murrawarri man Fred Hooper took over from Senator Thorpe, said the government was pouring millions of dollars into the yes campaign, but he was standing by Senator Thorpe because they were “sovereign nation that don’t agree with the Voice”.

The journalist pressed further, asking if Senator Thorpe and Pay the Rent had engaged in conversations with the “no” campaign before taking another question.

Senator Thorpe will vie to help write the ‘no’ campaign pamphlet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The dozen members of the Black Sovereign movement joined Senator Thorpe in expressing their deep reservations and strong opposition to the proposed Voice.

Made up of elders across the nation, some said the Voice would be “worthless”, while Euahlayi elder Michael Anderson laid down a bag of beads and a blanket as an “offering”.

“The land was taken from us for nothing, but we’re not that greedy, so we’re offering a blanket to King Charles and a set of beads to be taken back to England … a gift for the king, we’re taking our land back,” Mr Anderson said.

Senator Thorpe said she was “looking forward” to working on writing the official “no” pamphlet, alongside the likes of Pauline Hanson and the Nationals.

“I’ll be in a room with people that I normally don’t get along with – so I’m looking forward to that journey, as we continue to fight for treaty,” she said.

“We ain’t giving into colonial occupation, and we will maintain that our sovereignty has never been ceded.”