Senator Lidia Thorpe is leaving the Greens and will remain in the Senate as an independent

Senator Lidia Thorpe departs Greens to represent black sovereign movement while remaining in Senate.

Senator Lidia Thorpe is leaving the Greens and will remain in the Senate as an independent

At a press conference this afternoon, Thorpe said she wanted to represent the “grassroots black sovereign movement,” adding “it has become clear to me that I can’t do that from the Greens”. “Now I will be able to speak freely on all issues from a sovereign perspective without being constrained by… agreed party positions.”

The Voice

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Thorpe has been a critic of the Government’s planned referendum to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. While Thorpe has not announced a final position on the Voice, she favours a treaty with First Nations people before a Voice. A Voice and a treaty were both recommendations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart delivered by First Nations leaders in 2017. The Government is committed to a treaty after a Voice.

Thorpe said “[Greens] MPs, members and supporters have told me they want to support the Voice. This is at odds with [my] community of activists”. The Federal Greens are expected to announce their official position on Labor’s Voice referendum this week.

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