King Charles III was sharply criticised during a speech at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday by a senator who accused the British crown of stealing Aboriginal land.
Charles III, who is on a five-day visit to Australia with Queen Camilla, addressed MPs and senators in the Great Hall of Parliament on Monday. It was a key moment in his inaugural visit to Australia as monarch.
As he finished a speech in which he spoke about his studies in Australia, the COVID-19 pandemic and Australia’s vulnerability to climate change, Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator from Victoria, took to the stage shouting:
“This is not your country. 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 in this country. You are a genocidalist.”
Charles III turned to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and spoke quietly to him at the podium while security prevented Thorpe from approaching the monarch.
When security personnel asked the senator to leave the room and escorted her to the door, she shouted:
“This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king.”
Already in the lobby, Thorpe, dressed in a long possum skin coat, said:
“Fuck the colony.”
Earlier, as Thorpe waited for the monarch among invited guests in the Great Hall of Parliament, she turned away from a large video screen that showed King Charles III standing at attention outside during the official welcome and national anthem.
Before the King’s speech, Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton welcomed Charles III and Camilla to Parliament House, thanking them for supporting Australians in both good and bad times. Albanese praised the King’s engagement on issues such as climate change and reconciliation.
Earlier on Thursday, Thorpe released a statement arguing that Australia should become a republic and make a treaty with indigenous peoples as part of the process. She said there was “unfinished business that remains that we need to resolve before this country can become a republic.”
Charles III took the throne of Britain in September 2022 following the death of his mother Elizabeth II. On October 18 this year, His Majesty began his first visit to Australia since taking office.
The country has seen renewed debate over its declaration as an independent republic amid Charles III’s trip. The British monarch officially heads each of the Royal Commonwealth countries, which include Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, New Zealand and 11 other nations.
