Lidia Thorpe’s ‘error of judgement’ is rightly under fire

Senator Lidia Thorpe. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong.

Senator Lidia Thorpe is not under fire for briefly dating the former leader of the Victorian Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang, Dean Martin. The senator, whose marriage ended almost a decade ago and who describes herself as a “proud grandmother”, is entitled to have a relationship with anybody she chooses.

It also needs to be clearly understood that there is no suggestion that Mr Martin, who has never been convicted of a crime, was involved in any criminal activity or wrongdoing during the relationship. Unlike in the cases of Alan Tudge, Barnaby Joyce and others, there have been no acts of infidelity within a marriage and no family break-ups as a result of this.

This could lead some to assume that Senator Thorpe, a very large target thanks to her colourful life history and black activism, is being held to a different – and arguably higher – standard than others on both sides of politics.

A single mother at 17, a proud Indigenous Australian, a domestic violence survivor and a longstanding campaigner for Indigenous rights, the senator has previously courted controversy with tweets apparently supportive of the fire that damaged Old Parliament House in December 2021 and what appeared to be a “black power” salute during her swearing in ceremony.

She is, along with fellow senators Jacinta Price, Jacqui Lambie, Bob Katter and Pauline Hanson, a maverick outsider who, regardless of whether they are loved or loathed, add a welcome layer of diversity and difference to the Parliament and the national discourse.

This, however, does not give the senator a free pass to behave as she pleases.

At the time of her relationship with Mr Martin, Senator Thorpe, the then Green’s deputy Senate leader, held the party’s justice portfolio and was a member of the joint parliamentary law enforcement committee.

This meant she had access to highly confidential information including briefing documents detailing how the AFP monitored the activities of outlaw bikie gangs.

When one of her staff confronted her over the possible conflict of interest, noting she could be exposed to extortion and blackmail if others learned of the relationship, Senator Thorpe – who had gone to considerable lengths to keep the affair a secret by using encrypted communications and not meeting in public places – brushed the concerns aside.

When told she needed to meet with Adam Bandt, the party leader, to disclose the relationship she refused to do so and said the relationship was over even though the two remained friends.

One of Senator Thorpe’s staffers then spoke to Mr Bandt’s chief of staff about the relationship only to be allegedly told “do you mind if we don’t tell Adam?” If this is correct it would suggest Mr Bandt’s office was concerned about plausible deniability.

Mr Bandt’s chief of staff has denied making the statement.

While the secret nature of the relationship and the high profiles of the participants was always going to grab the headlines it is important to separate that from the core issue; the possibility of a conflict of interest that placed Senator Thorpe in an arguably compromised position and which could have led to an inadvertent, and potentially life threatening, security breach.

While it is ludicrously over the top for Peter Dutton to call for Senator Thorpe to be removed from the Parliament given his government’s tolerance for improper behaviour while in office, he does have a point when he says there should be consequences.

These latest revelations are just one more reason why Australia needs a federal ICAC with wide ranging powers of investigation and real teeth.

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