Outrage as Senator Lidia Thorpe escapes reprimand over oath disgrace
Indigenous senator’s obnoxious oath has sparked outrage as officials confirm she will be let off the hook with no penalty will be imposed.
Senate officials have declared that independent notorious Senator Lidia Thorpe will face no repercussions over her claim of pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth's “hairs” during her swearing-in.
The ruling, seen by many as lenient, has triggered debate with critics questioning why a senator is allowed to remain after openly disrespecting a constitutional procedure in a role that pays her more than $230,000 in taxpayer funds each year.
Richard Pye, the Clerk of the Senate and chief adviser on parliamentary matters, said that there is no “test of sincerity” required for the swearing-in, insisting that Senator Thorpe’s eligibility as a senator remains intact.
Lidia Thorpe has disrupted King Charles' event at Parliament House in Canberra.
— Kobie Thatcher (@KobieThatcher) October 21, 2024
What an embarrassment to Australia.pic.twitter.com/AzJsHlUpbS
“The idea that we would think that there’s not due reverence or due regard being had to this constitutional requirement should somehow interfere with the ability of a democratically elected senator to continue taking their part in the Senate, takes the point a bit too far,” Pye stated, defending the procedural stance taken by Senate officials.
This interpretation has intensified criticism from members of the public and several parliamentarians alike, who argue that Senator Thorpe’s controversial remarks undermine the gravity of her oath.
Roy Illingworth | Lidia Thorpe's Father: "She doesn't acknowledge any of her white side".
— Stigg 🌴 (@dypsis) October 21, 2024
"'Cause after all, she has got English background as well as Irish". pic.twitter.com/MQE1psdjfV
The senator, known for her disgraceful protest against the monarchy, originally claimed she had not correctly recited the oath, a statement she later walked back, citing it as a mistake.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says she swore allegiance to “the Queen’s hairs” rather than “the Queen’s heirs” when she was sworn into parliament in 2022. It comes after she said “you are not my King" to King Charles III during his visit to Canberra. pic.twitter.com/1PUznjo3Ba
— SBS News (@SBSNews) October 23, 2024
Pye noted that Thorpe’s written signature on the oath document legally validated her allegiance, regardless of any perceived insincerity.
“Senator Thorpe by signing [the oath] was attesting to the fact that those were the words that she had spoken,” he added. “And the President countersigned it to say that the oath, the affirmation has been properly made and subscribed before her.”
As the debate rages on, many are calling for a review of the requirements surrounding parliamentary oaths to ensure they reflect the respect expected by Australians towards their nation’s highest offices.
