An Indigenous Australian senator was instructed to retake her oath of office on Monday after she changed the standard text to label Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the Oceania nation’s head of state, a coloniser.
Lidia Thorpe, a Green MP and a descendant of the DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara peoples, told the Upper House of Parliament, with her right fist raised, that she “would be faithful to the colonizer Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”.
Senate President Sue Lines responded by telling the senator that she was obliged to rephrase the statement — a kind of oath that omits a reference to God — exactly as it was written. After a pause, Thorpe recited the text correctly.
Buckingham Palace spokespersons did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the speech by Thorpe, who has been a senator since 2020 and retained her seat in the May election.
Australia’s Constitution makes no reference to Indigenous Peoples, whose leaders have worked for generations to gain recognition for the injustices suffered by their people since the beginning of European colonization in the 1700s.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office promising changes to legislation to recognize indigenous minorities and require governments to consult Aboriginal people on decisions that affect their lives.
On Saturday (30), he revealed the wording of a draft referendum as part of that plan. The change is a commitment made by the Labor Party in the elections, in which it defeated the conservative Liberal-National coalition.
According to Albanese, the idea is to create a source of advice and accountability, not necessarily a third house in parliament.
Julian Leeser, a spokesman for Indigenous Australians, who opposes the prime minister, told local media the speech was a “positive step” but that Australians needed to know how the function would work.
Changing the Constitution is a difficult task and requires majority vote support in most states. Reforms have been made eight times, out of 44 attempts, since 1901. A successful referendum would align Australia with countries like Canada, New Zealand and the United States in formally recognizing indigenous populations.
