Lidia Thorpe Biography:- Lidia Alma Thorpe, born 18 August 1973, is an independent Aboriginal Australian politician who has served as a senator for Victoria since 2020, making her the first Aboriginal senator from the state. Previously a member of the Australian Greens, she left the party in February 2023 due to disagreements over the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. She subsequently became a prominent figure in the “progressive No” campaign for the Voice referendum in October 2023.
Lidia Thorpe Biography 2025
Lidia Alma Thorpe is an Aboriginal Australian independent politician. She has been a senator for Victoria since 2020 and is the first Aboriginal senator from that state.
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Born: 18 August 1973 (age 51 years), Carlton, Australia
Office: Senator of Australia since 2020
Previous offices: Deputy Leader of the Greens in the Senate of Australia (2022–2022) · See more
Children: 3
Previous campaign: Australian federal election, 2022 – Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia – Victoria
Born in Carlton, Victoria, to Roy Illingworth and Marjorie Thorpe, she is of English, Irish, and Aboriginal descent (Djab Wurrung, Gunnai, and Gunditjmara). Thorpe grew up in Housing Commission flats in Collingwood and attended local schools. She began her education at Gold Street Primary School, then went to Fitzroy High School and Collingwood High, leaving school at 14. She is also an athlete, playing Australian rules football and netball.
Thorpe’s first job was at the Koori Information Centre, a key site for Black political activity, where she worked alongside her uncle. Since then, she has continuously worked, aside from taking six-month breaks after each of her children’s births. She holds a Diploma of Community Development from Swinburne University, a graduate certificate in public sector management, and a Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership. She became a single mother at 17.
Thorpe has held various roles, including Aboriginal employment adviser for the Municipal Association of Victoria and president of the Lakes Entrance Basketball Association. She has participated in several community initiatives, including serving on the school council of Nowa Nowa Primary School and as co-chair of the Victorian NAIDOC Committee from 2014 to 2017. Her work experience includes roles as a project manager with the East Gippsland Shire Council, Indigenous manager at Centrelink, and manager at the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Training Centre.
In 2013, Thorpe faced financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt with over A$700,000 in debts. She attributed her bankruptcy to domestic violence, stating, “like many survivors of family violence, I ended up losing everything in a bid to protect myself and my family from an impossible situation.” Her ex-husband, an alcoholic, confirmed her account. She was discharged from bankruptcy in 2016.
Lidia Thorpe Salary
Thorpe earns a base salary of $233,600, plus an additional $25,696 as chair of a select committee.
Lidia Thorpe entered the Victorian Parliament by winning the Northcote seat in the by-election on November 18, 2017, securing 45.22% of the primary vote, which rose to 50.93% after preferences were distributed. She was sworn in on November 28, 2017, and delivered her inaugural speech the next day. During her time in the assembly, she served as the Australian Greens’ portfolio holder for Aboriginal Justice, Consumer Affairs, Skills and Training, Sport, and Mental Health.
In May 2018, Thorpe organized a significant gathering of Aboriginal Elders at the Victorian Parliament to discuss treaty processes. This meeting was part of her campaign for clan-based treaties to acknowledge the approximately 100 Aboriginal clans in Victoria. Thorpe emphasized the importance of recognizing the sovereignty of language groups and clans in the government’s treaty legislation. The clan elders unanimously decided to form an elders council.
Parliament of Australia
In June 2020, Thorpe was preselected by Victorian Greens members to fill a federal Senate vacancy created by the resignation of former leader Richard Di Natale. She was officially appointed during a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament on September 4 and sworn in on October 6, 2020. As the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria in the Senate and the first Aboriginal federal parliamentarian from the Greens, her election marked a significant milestone. After the May 2022 federal election, in which she was re-elected, Thorpe was elected as the Greens’ deputy leader in the Senate.
On October 20, 2022, Thorpe resigned from her role as deputy leader of the Greens following revelations of her past relationship with Dean Martin, the former president of the Rebels outlaw bikie gang. At the time, she held the justice portfolio and was involved in confidential briefings regarding bikie gangs and organized crime, which she did not disclose to her party. The relationship became public when her staff alerted party leader Adam Bandt and an independent parliamentary authority. Although she used encrypted communication and deleted messages weekly.
Following the disclosures, Thorpe faced a censure motion in the Senate, and concerns were raised about her suitability for her position. In light of a staff complaint, the Department of Finance began reviewing the culture of her office. Thorpe subsequently referred herself to the Senate privileges committee, and in March 2023, she was cleared of contempt of parliament.
Resignation from the Greens
On February 6, 2023, Thorpe announced her resignation from the Greens, opting to serve as an independent senator. She cited disagreements over the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, stating her desire to represent the grassroots Blak Sovereign Movement in Parliament, which she felt was not possible within the Greens.
Thorpe made headlines during a Senate Estimates hearing when she walked out after being called a “disgrace to her people” by Labor’s assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy. On June 14, 2023, she accused Senator David Van of sexual assault, a claim he denied, leading to his expulsion from the Liberal Party.
Ongoing Roles and Interests
Thorpe has served in various capacities, including as a delegate for the Lakes Entrance Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and as a co-chair of the Victorian NAIDOC Committee. She has also represented Victoria on the National Advisory Committee for The Smith Family.
Activism
Thorpe has been an advocate for the Pay the Rent campaign, urging non-Aboriginal Australians to voluntarily contribute reparations. She has expressed criticism of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, arguing for a treaty prior to establishing an Indigenous voice in government. Thorpe led a walkout during the Uluru convention, claiming it was dominated by Aboriginal corporations and did not reflect the views of ordinary Indigenous people. On Australia Day 2019, she organized a dawn service at the Kings Domain Resting Place to mourn and reflect on the impact of colonization, attended by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
Thorpe’s grandmother, Alma Thorpe, co-founded the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in 1973 and helped establish the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Her mother, Marjorie Thorpe, was involved in the Stolen Generations inquiry and was a member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Both her grandmother and mother were prominent Koori activists. Thorpe’s sister, Meriki Onus, co-founded the Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance, a key group in the Australian Aboriginal Sovereignty movement. Her uncle, Robbie Thorpe, has been an advocate for Aboriginal self-determination and is linked to the Pay the Rent campaign.
Thorpe is a mother of three and has four grandchildren as of April 2022. She was in a relationship with Gavan McFadzean, manager of the Climate Change and Clean Energy Program at the Australian Conservation Foundation, from 2019 to 2022. Despite political differences, Thorpe has noted that she gets along well with senators Malcolm Roberts and Matt Canavan.
