Australia’s Independent senator Lidia Thorpe made the headlines after she heckled King Charles after his speech in the Australian parliament. She accused King Charles of “genocide” against their community and called for a treaty between First Nations people and the government.

Following this dramatic ordeal, the opposition leader Peter Dutton said that Thorpe should resign from parliament.

“I think there’s a very strong argument for somebody who doesn’t believe in the system but is willing to take a quarter of a million dollars a year from the system, to resign,” Dutton said on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program. “If you were really truly about your cause and not just about yourself, then I think that’s a decision that you would make.”

To this, Thorpe responded by saying, “I’m not looking to be re-elected – I’m looking to get justice for my people.”

“I will be there for another three years, everybody. So, you know, get used to truth-telling,” she said on Radio National.

Lidia Thorpe was born in 1973 in the Australian state of Victoria’s Carlton. She has been an independent senator for Victoria since 2020 and advocates for the rights of the Indigenous community. She is also known for her strong protests against the monarchy.

Thorpe has been a part of protests and activism involving Indigenous people in Australia for many years, even before she entered politics. She is also a supporter of rights for the Black community.

She believes that a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians can help address historical wrongs. Through the treaty, the country can move towards becoming a republic state and help resolve “unfinished business”.

Thorpe is known for her high-profile protests. In 2020, she raised her fist, which is a symbol of “black power” salute during her swearing ceremony. She was wearing a traditional possum-skin cloak and held an Aboriginal message stick with 441 marks to symbolise the deaths of people of her community after a royal commission in 1991.

During her oath ceremony after her re-election in 2022, she referred to the late Queen Elizabeth II as “the colonising Her Majesty”. For this, she was asked to repeat her oath with the correct official words.

(With inputs from agencies)