Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on controversial independent Senator Lidia Thrope to resign following her shocking protest at King Charles and Queen Camilla during a reception at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
The royal couple entered the hall after signing the Parliament House visitor book in the Marble Foyer, arriving to the sounds of a didgeridoo played by Bevan Smith, a local Indigenous man.
They were joined by federal and state members of parliament, eminent Australians and representatives from the King’s charities who assembled for the first event of its kind since Queen Elizabeth II attended a parliamentary reception in the Great Hall in 2011.
“You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You are not our king. You are not sovereign,” she shouted.
“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. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty.”
King Charles spoke quietly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as they sat on the podium while security officials stopped Thorpe from approaching further and escorted her out of the Great Hall.
On Tuesday, the Opposition leader joined Nat Barr on Sunrise, where he delivered a scathing assessment of Thorpe’s actions.
“It was entirely predictable. All about herself. It doesn’t advance any cause she’s interested in. We shouldn’t give it any attention. It overshadowed what’s been a very successful visit so far. I think it was disrespectful, and most Australians dismiss it on that basis,” he said.
