Labor ministers have joined the Opposition in condemning Senator Lidia Thorpe‘s incendiary claim that she would ‘burn down Parliament House’ to support Palestine.
The independent Senator made the comments at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne on Sunday, days after Israel and Hamas reached a tentative ceasefire.
The remark drew a roar of support from the crowd but sparked immediate backlash from the federal Opposition and members of Australia’s Jewish community.
On Monday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined the chorus of opposition, describing the Senator’s comments as ‘of course’ not acceptable.
‘The concept of wanting to inflame, push the temperature up, is not what anyone should be doing, least of all a member of parliament,’ Mr Burke told ABC Radio National.
Social Services Minister Taya Plibersek toed a similar line, describing the Senator’s comments as ‘absolutely irresponsible’ but not worth giving further attention.
‘We just don’t want to give it extra air,’ Ms Plibersek told Seven’s Sunrise program.
But Sunrise host Nat Barr hit back: ‘I totally understand that. This is completely inflammatory. But when you have a senator saying she will burn down Parliament House, is there a step further than just (condemnation)? Can you censure her?’
Senator Lidia Thorpe has drawn widespread condemnation after threatening to ‘burn down Parliament House’ before a crowd of onlookers at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne
Tens of thousands attended pro-Palestine marches across Australia on Sunday. Demonstrators are pictured at Hyde Park in Sydney, where NSW Police said some 8,000 people attended
Plibersek said the issue would be dealt with at a later date.
‘That’s a matter to be decided down the track, but truly the last thing I want to be doing is promoting her or giving her the attention she so desperately craves,’ Plibersek said.
‘We need to focus on what we can do here in Australia. That is support a two-state solution and support whatever we can do to bring and assure peace in the Middle East.’
Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth, meanwhile, indicated the words risked raising the temperature on divides over Middle Eastern conflict in Australia.
‘People have the right to protest, but it must be done in a respectful way and of course, any comments that inflame violence and hatred are inappropriate, Ms Rishworth said on Monday.
‘I think if fighting can stop in the Middle East, we need to make sure that we are turning the temperature down here at home.
‘And of course, people want to see the end of the violence and they don’t want to see tensions brought here into Australia.’
Senator Thorpe’s fiery remarks were met with roaring cheers of support from the crowd of protesters gathered in Melbourne on Sunday.
Labor frontbenchers have joined the chorus of opposition against the firebrand Senator. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (pictured) said the comments were ‘of course’ not acceptable
Senator Thorpe was suspended from the Senate last year after ripping up a motion by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. She is pictured storming out from the Senate chamber
‘So we stand with you every day, and we will fight every day, and we will turn up every day and if I have to burn down Parliament House to make a point… I am not there to make friends,’ she said.
During her address, she compared the plight of Palestinians to that of Indigenous Australians, saying both groups shared a history of resistance.
Amid the fallout, the opposition said it would ‘consider options’ to hold the controversial Senator to account, with Senate opposition leader Michaelia Cash casting the comments as the latest in a ‘long history of appalling conduct’.
‘The opposition will consider options available within the Senate to hold Senator Thorpe accountable and ensure the safety of all those who work in our parliament,’ she said in a statement.
The former Greens Senator made a similar remark in 2021 when she said a fire at the Old Parliament House seemed like the ‘colonial system is burning down’.
Last year, she disrupted parliamentary proceedings by entering the press gallery viewing area of the Senate to yell pro-Palestinian slogans.
She had been suspended from the Senate a day earlier after she ripped up a motion by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson on the chamber floor.
The motion sought to have former Labor senator Fatima Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, investigated for an alleged section 44 citizenship issue.
Sunday’s marches came ahead of a peace summit in Egypt on Monday where the Gaza peace plan is expected to be signed. A ceasefire took place on Friday.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Australia’s major cities and regions to show their support for Palestine and doubts over the longevity of the recently brokered peace agreement.
NSW Police estimated some 8,000 people marched from Hyde Park to Belmore Park, well below organiser Palestine Action Group’s estimate of 30,000.
Victoria Police said some 3500 pro-Palestinine protesters turned out in Melbourne, while hundreds of members of the Jewish community met in Caulfield to welcome Monday’s expected peace deal.
Daily Mail contacted Senator Thorpe’s office for comment.
