Lidia Thorpe has made the extraordinary claim that she pledged her allegiance to the Queen’s ‘hairs’ – rather than ‘heirs’ – when she was sworn in as a senator more than two years ago.
Ms Thorpe made global headlines when she shouted at King Charles and Queen Camilla during a parliamentary reception on Monday, accusing the king of ‘(committing) genocide against our people’ and shouting ‘f*** the colony’.
Ms Thorpe was asked by the ABC on Wednesday afternoon whether she would then renege on her sworn pledge to ‘pay true allegiance’ to the monarchy, which she made when she was sworn in as a Greens senator in 2022.
She then made the extraordinary claim: ‘I have sworn allegiance to the Queen’s hairif you listen carefully enough.
‘It was her hair, not her heirsthat I pledged my allegiance to, and now that they’re gone, I don’t know where that stands.
‘I’m not giving up my job, I’m not resigning’.
Surprised host Greg Jennett responded by asking whether that made her position in the Senate untenable.
‘What is the meaning of that wrong pronunciation? …Does it invalidate your affirmative statement?’
Ms Thorpe said: ‘I am not an expert on colonial law… This country wants to swear allegiance to a king from another country whose ancestors have been responsible for massacres, so many massacres in our country…
“Why should I, with my hand on my heart, kneel before an oppressor? A murderous thief’.
Senator Thorpe was sworn in as an elected member of the Greens in the Senate in 2022.
Senator Thorpe shouted at the King after a speech he made at Parliament House, which was also attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
“You have committed genocide against our people. Give us our country back,” she said.
“Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You have destroyed our country. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow