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Lidia Thorpe defends Senate absences, reveals she was assaulted

By Olivia Ireland
Updated

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has defended missing more than a third of sitting days and participating in less than half the formal votes since the last election as she revealed she needed surgery after an assault this year.

Parliamentary data showed Thorpe missed 51 of the 138 sitting days and voted in 572 of the 1238 divisions, attending less often than almost all of her colleagues in the Senate.

Independent MP Lidia Thorpe in the Senate in February.

Independent MP Lidia Thorpe in the Senate in February.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Thorpe said she was absent because she had been assaulted at a public event this year which is still being investigated by the police.

“I sustained serious nerve and spinal injuries in my neck, which required spinal surgery and a plate to be inserted. There’s a scar on the front of my neck from this,” she said in a statement.

“I was ordered by the doctor not to travel and could not attend parliament after I sustained the injury and during recovery from surgery. My doctor told me to take time off work.”

Thorpe said she had not previously revealed the assault because police were still investigating. She provided no details about where it happened or who the perpetrator was.

Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles at Parliament House on Monday.

Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles at Parliament House on Monday.Credit: Getty Images

“It’s unfortunate that I have now been pushed to disclose this to defend myself, when I would have preferred to keep this private,” she said.

Thorpe said she was forced to live out of home for several months after she was sent a video in October last year of a neo-Nazi burning the Aboriginal flag and threatening her.

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“Leaving my home was at the advice of the AFP. Delays to the security review and plan from parliament and the AFP meant I wasn’t able to safely travel to parliament for several months,” she said.

The Australian first reported her absences after the Indigenous senator was criticised for confronting King Charles in Parliament to draw attention to the plight of First Nations people and seek a treaty.

On Thursday, Thorpe walked back her claim to ABC TV on Wednesday that she’d deliberately sworn allegiance to the Queen’s “hairs” instead of heirs when swearing her allegiance. A day later, she insisted she had merely mispronounced the word.

“My English grammar isn’t as good as others, and I spoke what I read, so I misspoke,” she told Sky.

Coalition Senate leader Simon Birmingham sent a letter on Thursday to Senate president Sue Lines requesting she review Thorpe’s admission and eligibility.

“The Coalition believes this matter must be resolved so that the integrity and authority of the Senate is maintained,” Birmingham wrote. Lines was contacted for comment.

Birmingham’s letter said Thorpe’s outburst could deter world leaders from speaking at parliament if they thought it had too high a potential for embarrassment.

After Thorpe yelled at the King, the Indigenous senator doubled down and said she does not care if her stunts end her parliamentary career and declared people must “get used to truth-telling”.

The only senator with more days of absence than Thorpe is former Labor senator Pat Dodson who resigned as he battled a serious cancer. Thorpe’s absences were much higher than anyone else, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong who was absent for 23 days because of the overseas travel her role requires.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/lidia-thorpe-defends-senate-absences-reveals-she-was-assaulted-20241025-p5kl9k.html