PM doubles down after Lidia Thorpe strip club incident

Following Lidia Thorpe’s labelling of the PM as “misogynistic and racist”, Anthony Albanese has stepped up his criticism of the firebrand senator.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has once again called on firebrand independent senator Lidia Thorpe to stop with her “inappropriate” incidents.

The Greens defector, who now sits on the crossbench advocating for the Blak Sovereign movement, was captured outside a Melbourne strip club in the early hours of Sunday morning engaged in a heated incident. 

Mr Albanese earlier this week called for Senator Thorpe to get support if she needed it – a claim the Victorian hit out at in a statement on Thursday.

Making reference to the Prime Minister’s comments, Senator Thorpe said there was a history of “white men in power using the media to attack and demonise Blak people that stand up to racism”.

“Saying I need some ‘mental help’ is a continuation of the old racist and misogynistic narrative used to discredit and silence outspoken and strong women, particularly Blak women,” she said.

“I am disappointed by the opportunism of politicians in Canberra – including the PM – using this to drag me down.

“While the Prime Minister and others have used this to try to undermine my progress, I have been busy out in community talking to First Nations leaders about solutions to the problems our people face everyday.”

Lidia Thorpe was captured on camera at 3am on Sunday morning in a heated exchange with a group of men. Picture: 7 News

Asked about it again on Friday, Mr Albanese said he stood by what he had said earlier this week, “which is that I hope that … if she needs help that she gets help”.

“I have to say that if a friend of mine had been the subject of the multiple public events, as has occurred with Senator Thorpe, my concern was just a human one,” he said.

“If someone had laid down in front of a truck … during Mardi Gras, if there had been the footage which was shown the other night, then I would reach out.

“I wish her well. I hope these incidents stop; they are not appropriate for any member of the public – let alone a member of the Senate.”

Senator Thorpe on Thursday defended her actions, saying she had been the victim of racism and had defended herself.

“No one was hurt. The story should be about the racists brazenly harassing a senator. The story is that I can’t go out without being harassed by racists – this is the racism Blak people deal with everyday in this colony,” she said.

“The racism that sees children removed at record rates … Meanwhile, the racists are free to walk around and harass Blak women without consequences.”

Anthony Albanese says he hopes Senator Thorpe gets help ‘if she needs it’, adding her behaviour has been unacceptable. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

It comes after Senator Thorpe’s estranged father, Roy Illingworth, told Sky News his daughter was “a very racist person”.

“The way I see it, the way she is and the way she’s changed over the years, she’s a very racist person against white people,” Mr Illingworth told The Bolt Report on Thursday night.

“She doesn’t acknowledge any of her white side. I’m a bit disappointed in the way she’s been carrying on lately.

“Because after all, she does have English background as well as Irish, the convict side.

“She’s never, ever mentioned me in her speeches; never mentioned anything about a white father, which disappointed me a little bit.”