Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has been sacked as the party’s deputy Senate leader after she confirmed an ABC report she was in an undisclosed relationship with a former president of an outlaw motorcycle gang.
The relationship went on while she was sitting on a law enforcement committee and receiving confidential police briefings about bikie activities, the ABC reported.
Thorpe told the ABC it was correct she used to date the ex-president of the Victorian chapter of the Rebels group, Dean Martin.
“We met through Blak activism and briefly dated in early 2021,” she told the ABC.
“We remain friends and have collaborated on our shared interests advocating for the rights of First Nations peoples.”
The ABC reported on Thursday that staffers in Thorpe’s office were alarmed by the relationship because it risked a potential conflict of interest, and that they raised the issue with the chief of staff of Greens Leader Adam Bandt.
Bandt, however, said he didn’t find out until he was recently contacted by the ABC.
Staff also raised the relationship with the Parliament’s workplace watchdog, the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.
It is not suggested that Thorpe shared any confidential information with unauthorised people, nor that Dean Martin, who has no criminal convictions, has any continuing association with outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Bandt said the failure of Thorpe to disclose the relationship to the party showed a “significant lapse in judgment”.
“Senator Thorpe says she understands this,” Bandt told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
“So I now expect her to demonstrate better judgment going forward and in exercising her continuing portfolio responsibilities.”
While Bandt was speaking, Thorpe issued a statement via her office.
“Greens Leader Adam Bandt has requested my resignation as deputy leader in the Senate and I have given him my resignation,” she said.
“I accept that I have made mistakes and have not exercised good judgment. I will now reflect on this and focus on my important portfolio work, especially advocating for First Nations people.”
She should go. She constantly shows bad judgement about all sorts of things and doesn’t seem to represent her people well.
we are her people
She’s a liability. Continues to completely undermine any standing the party has on integrity, conduct and transparency and gives so much fuel to the LNP and sky screaming heads. I resigned my Greens membership last year, specifically citing Thorpe as the reason and received no response… but to this day I continue to receive requests to donate and volunteer. Its not just former lib voters who are moving to the teals
Not only needs to resign from Deputy Leader in Senate but resign from parliament altogether!
As a supporter of the Greens I am gobsmacked how this came about. Brandt needs not only to counsel his chief of staff but to sack him. The only ones coming up looking ok is Thorpe’s staff.
Thorpe seems to thrive on taking contrary positions. Leaving the deputy leadership has got to be a good thing.
Well, if a state premier can’t understand about conflicts and personal relationships, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that a federal senator doesn’t.