Lydia Thorpe

Senator Lydia Thorpe protested at an event attended by King Charles and other officials, demanding action on indigenous sovereignty. She called for a treaty to acknowledge the wrongs done to indigenous Australians and recognize their rightful place in the country. The protest sparked debate about its appropriateness and highlighted the need for real change in addressing inequalities. It reminds us that history is still playing out and hard conversations are necessary for progress. The protest was a powerful reminder that silence is not an option and sometimes speaking up is the only way to make things right. Okay, so have you ever seen anything like it? I mean, picture this, right? King Charles, the whole shebang, dignitaries everywhere, pomp and circumstance you wouldn't believe. Like something out of a movie. Exactly, and then bam, Senator Lydia Thorpe just shuts the whole thing down. For a cloak and all. Oh yeah, didn't even flinch. Now, I know you've all seen the headlines by now, but trust me, we're going way deeper on this one. What's amazing is how much Senator Thorpe crammed into that one protest. This wasn't just about getting attention, it went way beyond that. This was about generations of pain, demanding action on indigenous sovereignty. He basically threw down a gauntlet. Exactly, he plopped the whole idea of a treaty right on the table. And let's be real, she did not mince words. I mean, she straight up said to King Charles, and I'm quoting directly here because wow, you committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us, our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. No kidding. And to really get the full weight of what she's saying, you gotta understand her background. Senator Thorpe is Ghanai, Gunditjmara, and Djabron. These are aboriginal groups whose roots go back, well, forever. Long before there was even a thought of a king in Australia. So this fight is in her blood, basically. It's more than just that she's been a powerful voice for indigenous rights for years, so this wasn't some random stunt. This is what she's all about. But here's the thing, right? You see the footage and the royals, King Charles, Queen Camilla, they just keep right on going. It's like business as usual, Tuesday afternoon. And even the other officials, they're barely a flicker. It's kind of wild to see. It actually gets at something really important, though, because it goes right to the core of what reconciliation even means in Australia. The idea is acknowledging the wrongs done to indigenous Australians since colonization, which is huge in itself. Centuries of injustice. Exactly. But it gets complicated fast because people have very different ideas about, like, okay, so what happens next? And we saw those different ideas play out in how people reacted to Thorpe's protest, right? Like, it was all over the map, some people calling her a hero, others saying it was disrespectful. A real lightning ride moment. For sure. But one thing's for certain. That image of her turning her back during the anthem, powerful, I don't think anyone who saw it is gonna forget it anytime soon. It's like this huge refusal to play along, you know? You can't look away, even if you want to. And it brings us to another big part of Thorpe's message. They call for a treaty. Okay, so for folks who aren't steeped in Australian politics, can we unpack that a bit? What does a treaty actually mean in this context? Sure. At its heart, a treaty is about two sovereign groups making a formal agreement, right? In this case, it's about the Australian government stepping up and saying, we see you, we recognize you as equals, indigenous Australians, let's talk. And that's huge. Huge. Because for a lot of indigenous people, a treaty isn't just about fixing past mistakes. It's about acknowledging a sovereignty that was always there, long before colonization tried to write them out of the story. So it's way more than just words on a page. Absolutely. It's about power, who gets to make decisions, and recognizing that indigenous Australians have a rightful place in this country that goes back to the very beginning. And honestly, that perspective is often missing from the conversation. No doubt about it. This whole thing's got people fired up. It's like Senator Thorpe just threw a wrench right into the gears and said, nope, we're not ignoring this anymore. It would have been so easy to just go with the flow. But she's demanding more. She is. She's demanding a reckoning. And it makes you think, right, history's full of times when people who weren't being heard, they had to get loud to make a change. You think about the suffragettes, the civil rights movement, all that. Exactly. They didn't play it safe. They challenged the system head on, even if it made people uncomfortable, even if it meant breaking the rules. Because sometimes you gotta shake things up to get those in power to even notice. That's right. And sometimes those traditional ways of trying to make change, they just don't cut it. You need that jolt, that disruption to really make an impact. Which brings us to something else that's been interesting, this whole debate about whether what Thorpe did was appropriate for that kind of setting. Oh, yeah. Yeah, some of the stuff people were saying online, it's like everyone's got an opinion on this. And that's exactly why it's so important to get why protest happens the way it does. Easy to judge when you're not the one being ignored, right? No. But when a group of people have been pushed aside for generations, their voice is silenced. Sometimes you gotta meet that power head on to be heard. Okay, but let's bring this back down to earth a little. Someone's listening to this, maybe they're not following Australian politics super closely, and they're thinking, why should I care about a treaty on the other side of the world? You know, that is such a good question because it gets at why any of this matters. This isn't just about Australia's past, it's about what kind of future we wanna create. One where we admit the wrongs that were done and try to build something more just, more equal for everyone. So we're talking more than just apologies. Way more. It has to be about real change. Addressing the inequalities that indigenous Australians are still dealing with every day in healthcare, education, jobs, you name it. It's about actions, not just words. And that all starts with being willing to listen, to learn, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Seems like Senator Thorpe, whether you agree with how she did it or not, she's definitely got people talking about things that maybe they would have rather just ignored. No question. And that's how progress happens. These hard conversations, they're what move us forward. It's kind of amazing, isn't it? One person, in this case, Senator Thorpe, can just shine a spotlight on something that's been, I don't know, bubbling under the surface for ages. It's a good reminder that history, I mean, it's not just something in the past. It's still playing out right now and shaping everything. Yeah, and sometimes it takes something jarring, like this protest, to make us actually see it. Right, exactly. Make us face those things we'd rather just pretend aren't happening. It's true. And that's where real change starts, doesn't it? By admitting we don't know everything and listening to those who have a different story to tell. Totally. So as we're wrapping up our deep dive here, what's the one thing you hope our listeners take away from this? I'd say remember that context is everything. What Senator Thorpe did, that protest, it wasn't about one king or even just a treaty. It was about generations of struggle, demanding justice, and a future where indigenous Australians have a real voice. It's like she's saying, hey, this is still happening. We're still here. You can't ignore us. Exactly, you can't just brush this under the rug. It's powerful. And a good reminder that sometimes silence isn't an option. You have to speak up, even if your voice shakes a little, even if it makes people uncomfortable. It's not always easy, but sometimes it's the only way to make things right. Couldn't agree more. And on that note, we'll leave you to ponder that. Thanks for joining us for this deep dive, everyone. We'll see you next time.