After failing to reach an understanding with her party on a Voice to Parliament, Senator Lidia Thorpe resigned from the federal Greens.
Senator Thorpe stated, “This nation has a powerful grassroots black sovereign movement, full of steadfast and devoted warriors, and I want to properly represent that movement.”
“I now understand that I cannot accomplish that within the Greens,” she said.
“Now I won’t be restricted by portfolios and accepted party viewpoints, and I can speak freely on all subjects from a sovereign standpoint.”
One of the Indigenous representatives that left the negotiations that resulted in the Uluru Statement from the Heart was Senator Thorpe, who has been an outspoken opponent of the planned Voice.
While the federal Greens have not yet explicitly stated that they will back the Voice in a referendum, Senator Thorpe and the party have publicly admitted that they disagree on how to respond.
On the first day of the new legislative term, Senator Thorpe made her resignation known as the Greens got ready to state their stance on the Voice.
Senator Thorpe signaled that she would still vote with the Greens on climate change even though she declined to answer questions from reporters.
When it was uncovered that Senator Thorpe had an unspoken relationship with an ex-bikie boss while working on a parliamentary committee that dealt with organized crime, Greens leader Adam Bandt removed her from her post as deputy leader in the senate.
Senator Thorpe will serve on the crossbench as an independent after her tenure ends in 2028.
The government will now require the backing of the Greens and two other crossbenchers in order to pass measures that the Coalition opposes in the Senate, where they hold a minority.
