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The Australian Federal Police are investigating whether independent senator Lidia Thorpe breached legislation by saying she would “burn down Parliament House to make a point” about Palestinian and Indigenous rights at a rally over the weekend.
In a statement to this masthead, an AFP spokeswoman said the force was aware of Thorpe’s comments and had initiated an investigation into a possible breach of legislation by the senator, following criticism of Thorpe’s comments from across the political spectrum.
Senator Lidia Thorpe made the comments at Sunday’s pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“The AFP is aware of comments made at a protest regarding Australian Parliament House. The AFP’s National Security Investigations team in Victoria began investigating almost immediately into whether the comments breach legislation. This will be done methodically,” a statement to this masthead read. The AFP would not say what legislation may have been breached.
“It is not the usual practice of the AFP to provide a running commentary on matters. However, noting the public commentary and concern, the AFP is seeking to reassure the community that this issue is being appropriately considered and undertaken in a timely manner.”
On Sunday, while speaking at a Melbourne pro-Palestinian protest, the senator said: “We will fight every day ... and if I have to burn down Parliament House to make a point ... I am not there to make friends. I’m there to get justice for our people.”
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“We stand in solidarity because we know what it’s like to have a boot on our neck every moment that we are alive. But we have survived,” Thorpe told the protest. The senator has since clarified the statement, saying it was “a metaphor for the pain in our communities”, not a literal threat to Parliament House.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash rebuked Thorpe for the comments, saying they were “disgraceful and shocking but unfortunately unsurprising”. The Coalition has flagged a potential censure motion against the senator when the upper house sits again at the end of the month.
On Monday morning, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was critical of Thorpe’s speech, saying that the domestic “temperature needed to be turned down”.
“I echo what the prime minister said about us needing to turn the temperature down, regardless of the fact that now is a time for hope ... the concept of wanting to inflame, push the temperature up, is not what anyone should be doing, least of all a Member of Parliament,” Burke told ABC Radio National.
“I’m not going to respond to that by increasing the heat in the opposite direction. I really think it’s a time for just turning the temperature down ... there are two things that Australians have been wanting.
“They’ve been wanting the killing to end, and they’ve been wanting to make sure that the conflict’s not brought here, we might be looking right now at the chance for the killing to end. So, let’s also try to calm things down here.”
Burke said a censure motion would be a matter for the Senate. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek told Nine’s Today on Monday that a censure motion or similar repercussions for Thorpe were “a matter to be decided down the track”.
Senator Thorpe has been contacted for comment.
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