Inside Senator Lidia Thorpe's new 'Blak sovereignty' agenda trends now
Lidia Thorpe wants Australians to pay the 'rent' to Indigenous people, to rewrite the constitution and establish a treaty with 'colonial' settlers - as she quits as a member of the Greens in a bid to become the head of the 'Blak sovereignty' movement.
Senator Thorpe revealed on Monday that she was resigning as a member of the left-wing party to become an independent, following a split with her colleagues about its stance on the Prime Minister's proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Wearing earrings that read 'sovereignty never ceded', Senator Thorpe said: 'Now I will be able to speak freely on all issues from a sovereign perspective, without being constrained by portfolios and agreed party positions.'
'This country has a strong grassroots black sovereign movement full of staunch and committed warriors. And I want to represent that movement fully in this Parliament.
'It has become clear to me that I can't do that from within the Greens.'
Lidia Thorpe (pictured) announced her resignation from the Greens to take up a seat on the crossbench on the first parliamentary sitting day on Monday
At the centre of her movement is a push for a treaty, and afterwards, an Aboriginal-led Republic.
Such a republic would guarantee that First Nations people would have 'real power' and maintain their sovereignty over the land.
It would allow Indigenous people to 'take back what was ours in the first place and share it in a way that we know how best to do'.
'I mean our whole culture is based on sharing and caring. So a Blak Republic would ensure that everybody in this country is looked after,' she told youth news website Junkee.
'Everybody in this country understands the true history of this country, understands or has some basic knowledge around how to look after the land that you are on and how we've looked after it.'
Senator Thorpe, who was the Greens' First Nations spokeswoman, opposed the Voice to Parliament unless there was a guarantee that Indigenous sovereignty would not be ceded - as Voice advocates have insisted that will not happen.
Senator Thorpe said she was committed to the 'black sovereignty' movement and would continue fighting for First Nations people
A rewrite of Australia's Constitution, an Aboriginal-led Republic and a weekly tax are just some of the changes Lidia Thorpe is pushing for after declaring there was a 'war' against Indigenous Australians
She clarified this during a speech on Australia Day, where she addressed a rally clutching a war stick and demanded a government treaty with Indigenous people before the Voice.
'Greens MPs, members and supporters have told me they want to support the Voice,' she added.
'This is at odds with the community of activists who are saying (we want a) Treaty before Voice. This is the message delivered on the streets on January 26.
'This is the movement I was raised in. My elders marched for a treaty. This is who I am.'
However, despite previously opposing the Voice proposal, she claimed during her speech that she would be 'not announcing my position on the Voice today'.
'I want to continue my negotiations with the government. First Nations sovereignty is crucial but so is saving lives today,' she added.
Ms Thorpe has continuously called for a treaty and supported the 'Pay the Rent' scheme during her time in parliament
Senator Thorpe will also continue advocating for the 'Pay the Rent' scheme that urges Australian property owners to pay a weekly 'rent' tax to Indigenous groups based on their ancestral claim to the land.
Under the scheme, homeowners would voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to a body led by Aboriginal elders and administered without any government oversight or intervention.
One per cent of weekly wages is the level suggested by Robbie
