A grassroots voice for Green politics

Lidia Thorpe is a Senator for Victoria, a proud Gunnai Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman, lifelong activist and fighter for human rights, social justice and the environment.

Senator Thorpe is the portfolio holder and Greens Federal spokesperson for First Nations, Justice, and Sport. 

"Fighting for environmental and social justice is at the heart of who I am, and why I proudly call the Greens home. As your Senator for Victoria, I will work for Greens members and for all Victorians in the Federal Parliament."

In 2017, Lidia Thorpe became the first Aboriginal person elected to Victorian parliament, as the Greens MP for Northcote. In September 2020, Lidia took her seat as Victoria's first Aboriginal Senator in the federal Parliament.

Lidia was sworn in to the Senate holding a message stick burned with 441 marks, one for each death in custody since the handing down of the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991 and holding up her fist in a gesture of strength and solidarity.
 

"I am proud to embody the Greens belief that Federal Parliament should reflect the strengths and diversity of our society, and to have brought my unique experience and fighting spirit to the Greens MPs team. As someone who has experienced poverty and adversity, as a proud bearer of cultural knowledge, and as a passionate activist on climate change, growing inequality and justice for First Nations, I will continue to fight for those values we all share. How we address these issues now will define us as a nation for generations to come."

"In order to reconcile our nation, we need to face some uncomfortable truths about our past, and about our present. Only once truth-telling takes place and once the nation hears all our voices, can we create a country we can all be proud of and face our future challenges together. I will be part of that truth-telling, and help bring us together."

"Since taking office, we have reached communities who have never engaged with the Greens before - disenfranchised voters, people who have never felt like politics was representing them - and who now know that the Greens are committed to fighting the injustices they face."

– Lidia Thorpe

Representation, activism and working together to build our movement.

Lidia Thorpe grew up in the Collingwood Housing Commission flats, the granddaughter of one of the founders of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, and she is a life-long activist. She has raised three children, is a survivor of domestic violence, and completed her university education as an adult. Her professional background includes work in public policy, advocacy, small business, government and NGOs, always with a focus on activism and social justice. Lidia lives on Wurundjeri Country in Melbourne with her partner, her youngest daughter and a rescued Neapolitan Mastiff named Chilli. 

The Greens team in federal Parliament is committed to building an inclusive, supportive movement that pushes for action on the climate crisis, safeguards our country and wildlife, protects the most vulnerable people in our community, and works to dismantle economic injustices across our society.