Senator Lidia Thorpe

How many more deaths in custody will it take for this government to act?

Silence and inaction kills.

No more delays, no more deaths.

When incarceration and deaths in custody happen disproportionately to our people, how can that ever be seen as anything other than suspicious?

Make no mistake: deaths in custody are part of the ongoing genocide waged against our people.

Passing away at the age of 30?
25 deaths in custody, this year alone?
At least 610 deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission?
And not a single police or prison officer ever held accountable?

That sounds suspicious too.

The WA Department of Justice claims "there were no suspicious circumstances" involved in his death.

But dying in custody? That sounds suspicious to me.

Over the weekend, another young man's life was stolen by the system. At just 30 years old, he died alone inside the walls of Hakea prison.

To his family, I send my love, solidarity, and strength.
We must demand justice for his life taken too soon by this violent system.

As the fight for justice continues, we remember the unwavering strength of Yolngu resistance – guided by the spirit of the land, its laws, our ancestors, and our unceded Sovereignty.

Sixty years on, our land continues to be colonised.

Mining companies continue to bypass our decision-making, and we are still fighting for Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

Though the demands were ignored, the petitions introduced First Peoples’ Sovereignty and connection to Country into the colonial legal framework and added huge momentum to the ongoing fight for land rights around the country.

It was the first time documents representing First Peoples’ relationship to land, laws, and ways of knowing were presented to the Parliament of so-called Australia.

It parliamentary inquiry - the first petitions in our history to spark an immediate parliamentary response.

In response came the Yirrkala Bark petitions: one petition on bark, another on paper - signed by selected Yolngu men and women who asserted Sovereign custodianship of the land, called for Yolngu consultation and compensation, and demanded recognition.

The bark petitions protested the aluminium mining approved by successive governments through the 1950s and 60s, permitting mining companies to infiltrate Yirrkala Country and decimate the land.

No consultation. No warning. Just destruction.

Today is the anniversary of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions – a powerful act of Yolngu resistance that forced the colonial parliament to reckon with First Peoples’ land rights.

The government has a choice: protect cultural rights and First Peoples’ data sovereignty — or cave to tech giants hungry for free labour and profit.

To the government we say: our culture is not yours to give away.

We must have a say in how it’s used.

First Peoples must be respected as rights-holders, not treated as data sources.

Any use of our culture must be based on consent, control and compensation.

Without that, AI becomes just another tool of colonial exploitation.

The Productivity Commission has suggested changes copyright law to let tech giants freely use creative work to train AI.

This would allow exploitation of First Peoples’ intellectual and cultural property.

Our culture is not “content” for governments to hand to tech companies.

AI must not be allowed to exploit Indigenous culture The federal government is being asked to make a decision that will shape the future of First Nations stories, art, music and journalism in Australia.Right now, the Productivity Commission is consideri...

Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This year’s theme focuses on AI.

And right now, the government is considering letting AI companies use copyrighted Australian work — including First Peoples’ stories, art and language — without our consent.

nit.com.au/07-08-2025/1...

“Beads and trinkets”– Lidia Thorpe slams Prime Minister’s “exercise in optics” at Garma Independent Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has slammed Anthony Albanese's 'annual excursion to Garma' as having become 'an exercise in optics, an attempt to Blackwash the Labor Party'.The Gunnai, Gund...

Your cowboy hat isn't fooling anyone, Albo.

Our people continue to die in custody and governments are stealing and jailing our kids at record rates - we need real action.

Albanese must recommit to Truth-Telling and Treaty, stop the state violence against us, and start listening to our communities.

YouTube video by Green Left Lidia Thorpe: RED LINES against genocide | Green Left Show #64

@senatorthorpe.bsky.social: RED LINES against #genocide | @greenleftonline.bsky.social Show #64

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSAp... @bdsmovement.bsky.social

#StopStarvingGaza #StopSupportingGenocide #StopArmingIsrael #BoycottIsrael #activism

Chief Minister Finocchiaro would rather silence the Coroner than confront systemic racism and her own government’s failures.

For all the families who have lost loved ones, this cannot be allowed.

Albanese and Minister McCarthy must pull this extremist NT government into line.

NT government flags capping coronial spends after $8m Walker inquest The Northern Territory government is considering changing the law in an effort to drive down the costs of coronial inquests. But a lawyer from the Kumanjayi Walker probe says police used far more reso...

The NT government didn’t like the Coroner calling out racism in the NT police after the killing of Kumanjayi Walker — so now they’re gearing up to defund and undermine the entire coronial system.

This is a full-blown attack on truth and accountability.

YouTube video by Republic Campaign HECKLING CHARLES - LIDIA THORPE | From Below the Balcony

During my recent trip to London, I caught up with Abby and Graham from UK Republic to talk about what it means to stand up to the monarchy and the royals — and why I’ll keep calling out the Crown’s role in colonisation and genocide.

Watch the full episode here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCS...

How can we trust governments to 'close the gap' and world institutions to protect heritage when fossil fuel interests precede our rights to our history, culture, law and spirit?

We cannot let state capture destroy the fight for Murujuga - a lifeline for Ngardi Ngarli Peoples.

Ecocide is genocide.

I urge the federal government to revoke the amendments and honour this listing in alignment with UNESCO and the calls of Traditional Owners.

These amendments were not made to protect heritage of Country - they were made to pave the way for Woodside’s gas expansion.

It contradicts what Ngardi Ngarli Peoples fought so hard to achieve and what this landmark listing seeks to defend.

What Ngarda Ngarli Peoples and UNESCO called for was systematically watered down:

- Plans to rehabilitate the site were removed
- Words like “recommend” became “encourage”
- Warnings to prevent future gas expansion were erased
- Consultation with Ngardi Ngarli Peoples was scrapped

However, this win does not equal protection. Behind the scenes, Environment Minister Murray Watt travelled to Paris and lobbied UNESCO to weaken protections on behalf of the gas industry.

After decades of advocacy, Murujuga has finally been recognised under UNESCO World Heritage status -

A powerful win for Raelene Cooper and the Ngarda Ngarli Peoples who fought relentlessly to protect their Country.

This should not just be another report that governments choose not to act on.

All the Coroner reports, Royal Commissions and inquiries are worth nothing if no action is taken.

The colonial legal system criminalises and harms our people and all too often kills them.

Diversionary programs, developed and led by community, can bring much better outcomes for the individual, the family and the whole community.

The inquest findings and recommendations highlight the importance of self-determined solutions for our people, and the support of our communities and children, rather than punishment.