Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Last month, during King Charles’ visit to Canberra, an Aboriginal senator, Lidia Thorpe, heckled the King and expressed, “you are not my King” and “this is not your land”. Her actions were an attempt to highlight the impact of British colonisation. The Senate voted 46-12 in favour to censure Ms Thorpe for her “disrespectful and disruptive” actions. The Senate recommended Ms Thorpe be disqualified from representing the chamber as a member of any delegation. Although the censure carries no constitutional or legal weight, it is politically symbolic.
Ms Thorpe said she was denied her right to respond in the chamber following a flight delay. The independent senator stood by her actions, stating, “the British Crown committed heinous crimes against the first peoples of this country, and I will not be silent.” While some Australian politicians, including prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, criticised her actions, Ms Thorpe received praise from activists who argued it brought attention to the plight of Australia’s first inhabitants. Indigenous Australians face acute disadvantages in terms of health, wealth, education, and life expectancy compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
Despite the protest, the King and Queen Camilla were warmly received by Australian crowds during their five-day tour. Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, shared his gratitude with the royals for their respect towards Australians, even during times of debate. Ms Thorpe has a history of Indigenous activism and has previously made global headlines for her views. During her swearing-in ceremony in 2022, she referred to Queen Elizabeth II as a coloniser and was asked to retake her oath after facing criticism. In 2021, Australia rejected a proposal to grant constitutional recognition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to establish a body to advise Parliament on issues impacting their communities.
While data suggests a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people voted ‘Yes’, support wasn’t unanimous. Ms Thorpe herself was a leading ‘No’ campaigner, criticising the measure as tokenistic. Given the lack of an agreement for future policy, it is clear that there is ongoing uncertainty over how to achieve reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.