Lidia Thorpe blows up in the Senate as President takes the extraordinary step of SILENCING her after she accused another senator of falling asleep

Lidia Thorpe accused the acting Senate president of ‘sleeping in the chair’ during a heated evening row, prompting her to be silenced in an extraordinary move.

The independent senator waited in the chamber at 8:30 PM on Tuesday evening to deliver a speech about her cousin, who died in police custody in 2022.

But she lost patience when Labor Senator Louise Pratt, who was acting president at the time, gave a colleague 10 minutes to speak – even though Ms Thorpe understood they were only allowed five minutes.

The incident was clearly frustrating for other senators as well. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic noted that she had waited more than an hour and 15 minutes for her chance to have her say.

Ms. Thorpe began shouting over the others in the room, arguing that Ms. Pratt had “slept in that chair” and that the previous acting president had already scheduled five minutes of speaking time.

“I have a mother who lost a son to your system…” Mrs. Thorpe shouted.

‘Waking. Waking. How come we all heard one thing and you heard something else?’

Ms Thorpe called on Senate President Sue Lines to review Ms Pratt’s conduct and said she would like to see her return to the chamber.

“She should be in the chair right now to deal with this matter because we are being swamped by you.”

Moments later, Senator Lines returned to the chamber and, in a rare move, ordered that Ms. Thorpe no longer be heard.

Unlike the House of Representatives, senators cannot be expelled from the House for their behavior. However, they can be ordered to remain silent for a certain period.

Responding to the call, Ms Thorpe asked: ‘Did you make that statement? Are you telling me I can’t be heard? Because I want to know. Is that correct? Is that what’s happening?

“I’m not leaving this room, I’m going to read now.”

As another senator continued her speech at Ms Lines’ behest, Ms Thorpe began speaking over her, sharing her own statements about the death of Josh Kerr, who died in police custody in August 2022.

His mother, Donna, reportedly listened to the proceedings and expected the tragedy to be addressed.

Amid all the chaos, Secretary Murray Watt stood up and asked for the Senate to be adjourned, ending the session.

Ms Thorpe has promised to deliver her speech in full on Wednesday.

Hours earlier, she had spoken about the tragic deaths of Jessie Baird and Luke Davies, who were allegedly murdered by an on-duty police officer.

As a result, NSW Police have not been invited to Mardi Gras, which takes place this weekend.

Ms Thorpe called on Senate President Sue Lines to review Ms Pratt’s conduct and said she would like to see her return to the chamber

Ms Thorpe said it was a welcome decision and an outcome hard fought for by the black and gay community.

“For decades, queer and black people have been brutalized and murdered by police, and this continues unchecked every day,” she said.

‘There is a shocking lack of standards and accountability within police forces in this country. This means that violent aggressors – many of them racist and homophobic – are given a badge, a weapon and the permission to act with impunity against our communities.

“Far too often we have seen police officers get off with less than a slap on the wrist for discrimination, brutal acts of violence or even murder.

“This is more than a few bad apples, this is a serious problem in policing across the country. And police officers who investigate officers will never begin to improve the systemic racism, homophobia, and culture of impunity we see in policing.

“We need strong, independent oversight bodies in every state that can impose tough penalties on police who do the wrong thing.”