The stately halls of Australia’s Parliament House recently bore witness to a dramatic scene as Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, a proud Gurnai Gunditjmara and Djab-Wurrung woman, confronted King Charles III during his royal visit. In a fervent outburst, Thorpe accused the British crown of heinous crimes against Indigenous Australians, catalyzing a heated national debate on the unresolved wounds of colonization.
As the King entered Parliament, Thorpe’s voice rang out: “The colony is built on stolen land, stolen wealth, and stolen lives.” Her impassioned protest swiftly made global headlines, with reactions spanning from admonishment to ardent support. Critics decried Thorpe’s actions as disrespectful grandstanding, with the federal opposition mulling a formal censure. Yet allies, like Greens Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi, staunchly defended Thorpe’s right to confront the King with what they deem irrefutable truths.
A Legacy of Dispossession and Loss
Thorpe’s accusations stem from Australia’s dark colonial history, marked by the dispossession, oppression, and decimation of First Nations peoples. Thousands of Indigenous men, women, and children were killed by British and later Australian government forces in the frontier wars, a finding backed by extensive academic research. The systematic removal of Indigenous children from their families, known as the Stolen Generations, further fractured communities and identities.
“We have over 600 deaths in custody that we know about. That does not include babies who’ve died in the system.”
– Senator Lidia Thorpe
Today, Indigenous Australians continue to face disproportionate disadvantage and injustice. As Thorpe highlighted, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are grossly overrepresented in out-of-home care, with removal rates actually worsening in recent years. Deaths in custody remain a tragic reality, with at least 576 Indigenous lives lost since 1991, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Calls for Treaty and Reparations
Central to Thorpe’s protest are long-standing calls for formal treaties between Indigenous nations and the Australian state. Despite the frontier wars and dispossession, no treaty has ever been negotiated, leaving First Peoples without proper recognition of their sovereignty and custodianship. Activists argue that until treaties are signed, true reconciliation remains elusive.
Thorpe also demanded an apology and reparations from the King, including the return of crown land to Indigenous peoples. The British Museum and other UK institutions hold thousands of sacred artifacts and ancestral remains taken from Indigenous communities, with repatriation efforts often stymied by legal barriers. For Thorpe, whoever wears the crown must take responsibility for the wealth amassed through colonization.
“Whoever wears that crown is taking on the wealth, a transfer of wealth happens. Well, what about the transfer of responsibility?”
– Senator Lidia Thorpe
A Nation Grapples with Its Past
The fierce debate ignited by Thorpe’s confrontation lays bare the raw, unresolved nature of Australia’s colonial legacy. While some dismiss her protest as a stunt, others see it as a courageous stand for truth-telling and accountability. As the nation grapples with its history, voices like Thorpe’s serve as a potent reminder that the wounds of dispossession and injustice still fester.
In the end, Thorpe’s impassioned words to the King echo a sentiment shared by many Indigenous Australians: that sovereignty was never ceded, and that the fight for justice, treaty, and reparations continues. As Australia charts its path forward, reckoning with the sins of its colonial past will be an unavoidable and essential step towards healing and genuine reconciliation.
