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AUSPOLLIEWATCH EVERY CLAIM LINKS TO ITS SOURCE · NOT A SCORECARD

Portrait of Lidia Thorpe

Lidia Thorpe

Independent · Senate · VIC · incumbent

Lidia Alma Thorpe was born on 18 August 1973 in Carlton, Victoria, to parents Roy Illingworth and Marjorie Thorpe, with English, Irish, Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara heritage; she grew up in housing commission flats in Collingwood, Melbourne. She attended Gold Street Primary School and Fitzroy High School but left school at age 14. As an adult she earned a Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership, a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management, and a Diploma in Community Development from Swinburne University of Technology, and her first job was assisting at the Koori Information Centre in Fitzroy. [source]

Project manager with the East Gippsland Shire Council, Indigenous manager at Centrelink and manager at the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Training Centre. Member for Northcote in the Victorian Legislative Assembly 2017-2018; quit the Greens in February 2023 and has been an Independent Whip since 7 February 2023. [source]

Sourced positions

A verified position is the member's own stated view or vote, supported by the listed sources. This page records public statements and conduct only — see methodology.

Immigration verified

Thorpe is a vocal opponent of immigration and offshore detention. Attending protests at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation in 2022 over the transfer of detainees to Christmas Island, she demanded to know "how many people seeking asylum are actually in there, and what are the plans for them?" and criticised the treatment of detainees. She has continued to advocate for asylum seekers and refugees in the Senate.

Foreign policy & aid verified

Thorpe is an outspoken advocate for Palestine. At an October 2025 pro-Palestine rally she said she would "burn down Parliament House to make a point" over conditions in Gaza (which she described as hyperbolic), and in November 2024 raised a fist and called "Free Palestine" in the Senate.

Record last updated 2026-08-13.