Peter Dutton has said that Lydia Thorpe “shouldn’t be in the Senate” after she accused him of being “racist” and “violent.”
Senator Thorpe made these comments during an appearance on a podcast earlier this week, where she responded to a question about “Trump tactics” by saying, “Dutton is racist. Dutton is a violent person.” She added, “Dutton was a police officer in Queensland who caused harm to many black people on the street, using his power in the streets.”
Dutton dismissed the claims as “ridiculous,” saying, “Obviously, they are just ridiculous statements, but she’s after publicity.” He continued, “She shouldn’t be in the Senate.
She is not stable enough to be a member of the Australian Parliament.
I think people realize her actions and behavior are aimed at attracting the attention of the far-left, and she is doing that.”
Senator Thorpe has faced condemnation from her parliamentary colleagues across the political spectrum after her profane protest during King Charles’ visit last year.
She shouted “You’re not our king,” “Give us the treaty,” and “Go to hell with the colony” at the king after he gave a speech in Parliament praising Australia.
The former Greens party member, now an independent, was reprimanded in her absence by her fellow Senators in November for the protest, which led her to run through the Senate press gallery, shouting obscenities at her colleagues.
In the days following her royal protest, she said that her message in support of Indigenous rights “got lost” and that she only made headlines “when I protest loyalty.”