Australian politician and activist Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 18 August 1973) is currently a Senator for Victoria, representing the Australian Greens. She makes history as the first Aboriginal Senator from Victoria.
The New Greens senator was recently Sworn in to replace the Victorian seat of former leader Richard Di Natale.
Ms Thrope in a post on Twitter in reaction said: ‘I’m so proud to be the first Aboriginal Victorian Senator and working alongside my Greens colleagues.’
In June 2020, Thorpe was preselected by Victorian Greens members to fill the federal Senate vacancy following former leader Richard Di Natale’s resignation. She was appointed to the vacancy at a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament on 4 September, and was sworn in on 6 October 2020. She is the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria in the Senate and is the first Aboriginal federal parliamentarian from the Greens.
Thorpe, who has previously been a member of the Victorian Parliament, a member for the division of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2018 won the Northcote state by-election on 18 November 2017 landing 45.22% of the primary vote. Hence giving her a winning distribution of 50.93%, 11% more than the Labor candidate, thus emerging the first Aboriginal woman elected to the state Parliament
She was sworn in as a member of parliament on 28 November 2017.
Thorpe, with a wealth of expertise has served in various high capacities: was managing director of Clan Corporation, a sustainable housing and renewable energy business catering to remote Aboriginal communities. She was also the chair of the Victorian NAIDOC Committee. Thorpe has also worked as the Aboriginal employment adviser for the Municipal Association of Victoria, was president of the Lakes Entrance Basketball Association for three years, school council member of the Nowa Nowa Primary School, a steering committee member for Indigenous Administrators, a member of Community of Practice, a member of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria), and a project manager with the East Gippsland Shire Council, where she addressed disadvantage in Lakes Entrance through the Advancing Country Towns Project.
