Moment ‘Blak Sovereign’ elder hits out at a journalist as Lidia Thorpe makes her case for voting ‘No’ surrounded by her effortlessly cool support crew: ‘How dare you insult us’
- Journalist accosted by Blak Sovereign Movement member
- She was consoled by senator Lidia Thorpe during conference
Tempers have flared during a press conference held by Lidia Thorpe justifying her decision to vote ‘No’ for a referendum vote on a the Voice to Parliament.
The independent senator was flanked by members of the Blak Sovereign Movement, including her former media advisor Jennetta Quinn-Bates wearing striking ‘No’ sunglasses, as she declared: ‘The Voice is in violation to our ancient protocols’.
‘We have never agreed to be governed by the colonial Australian government… we do not surrender now. The Voice is just a vehicle for unwanted constitutional recognition.’
A question asked about Ms Thorpe’s links to the ‘Pay the Rent’ group by a reporter sparked fierce backlash by a elder in her crew shouting: ‘How dare you?’
‘How dare you insult us while we’re talking about our future? How dare you insult us,’ the woman shouted.
The woman was consoled by Ms Thorpe as fellow elder Fred Hooper stepped up to answer the question – which was about the ‘Pay the Rent’ initiative – on the senator’s behalf.
Ms Thorpe said: ‘This is what we’ve got to deal with.’
She also warned Fred Hooper not to ‘fall into’ the question being asked.
Tempers have flared during a press conference held by Lidia Thorpe justifying her decision to vote ‘No’ on the Voice to Parliament
Jennetta Quinn-Bates was among the group, wearing black tinted ‘No’ sunglasses . At one stage she whispered in Ms Thorpe’s ear before she proceeded with answering the question
‘The Commonwealth Government have put millions of dollars to the Yes campaign. We don’t know if there is a No campaign. We’re just saying no because we are sovereign nations that don’t agree with the Voice,’ Ms Thorpe said.
Senator Thorpe, as well as her sister, uncle, and grandmother all have some links to the ‘Pay the Rent’ collective, which since its establishment in the 1970s spends donated money at grassroots levels.
In answering questions about her family’s ongoing role in the collective, and whether it would be donating to the No campaign, Senator Thorpe brushed off the journalist, instead saying it was set up to ‘address the effects of genocide’.
‘With all due respect you’re one of the journos who throws me under the bus all the time,’ she said.
Ms Quinn-Bates then whispered in Ms Thorpe’s ear, before she proceeded with answering the question.
‘I don’t have any details to any bank accounts, I’ve never been a signatory to any bank accounts. You’ll have to follow up with the Pay the Rent crew.’
The ‘Pay the Rent’ movement wants homeowners to voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to Aboriginal elders without any government oversight or intervention.
Thomas Mayo, a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and architect of the Voice to Parliament, indicated the proposed advisory body, if passed in a referendum late this year, could be a stepping stone toward reparations.
The ‘Pay the Rent’ movement wants homeowners to voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to Aboriginal elders without any government oversight or intervention
Pictured: A member of Senator Thorpe’s crew wearing ‘No’ sunglasses
He made the comment in a video published by Search Foundation, a left-wing thinktank that markets itself as the successor to the Communist Party of Australia.
Mr Mayo was speaking about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, some two years before the Albanese government announced there would a referendum on a First Nations Voice – an Aboriginal body with the power to propose alterations to all bills before parliament that impact indigenous people.
‘This is the first step, it’s a vital step and it puts all the explanation behind it. Pay the Rent for example, how do we do that in a way that is transparent and that actually sees reparations and compensation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people beyond what we say and do at a rally?’
Elsewhere, Mr Mayo said politicians would be ‘punished’ if they ignored advice from the advisory body.
