You are not my king.
As Lidia Thorpe’s words reverberated around the parliamentary chambers, it was an opportunity for some colonial reflection. ‘This is not your land’ (whose land is it anyway?), ‘we want a treaty’ (why the hell don’t we already have a treaty?).
‘You are not my king’ (nor mine, actually). Lidia’s protest was far more effective, precisely because it happened in parliament in the presence of King Charles. Her message echoed around the world and raised so many contentious issues.
Here’s what we know. The first Aboriginal people arrived on this continent around 70,000 years ago. 254 years ago Cook claimed this continent (which included over 300 Aboriginal nations) in the name of the English king.
In 1901 the colonisers declared this continent an independent nation with a Westminster parliamentary system. In 1967 Aboriginal people were acknowledged.
In 2023 Aboriginal people were denied recognition in this nation’s constitution and denied a voice in matters affecting their lives.
Little wonder Lidia made her feelings known. She is being accused of ‘breaching her oath of office’. Some things are bigger than swearing oaths. The traumatic back-story of colonisation is not pretty.
We say we live on Bundjalung land and honour elders past, present and emerging. Is this just white-fella tokenism or do we really live on Aboriginal land? And do we really honour elders? Symbolism is important. Acknowledging historical wrongs is part of truth-telling.
King Charles is a prisoner of history whose life is dominated by duty. He is a man of science and awkwardly, head of the Church of England, obliged to attend church every Sunday. How does he reconcile evolution with creationism?
Everywhere he goes people fall about, fawning and obsequious. Perhaps Lidia’s charge was a timely reality check? An awkward, self-conscious moment of truth-telling. The embarrassment many felt was as much about the way we kowtow to this distant monarch. The ambivalent relationship we have with this British king of Australia.
In this, the most secular nation on earth, parliament begins with The Lord’s Prayer. In the same spirit, every new politician is compelled to swear an oath to the reigning monarch, when probably more than half our parliament is both atheist and republican.
If you were a committed Aboriginal woman how might you feel about kowtowing to an English king? There is tension in being both Aboriginal and a senator. Conflict between allegiance to the crown and allegiance to her Aboriginal heritage.
The federal Coalition wants to throw the book at Lidia and drive her out of office. I don’t think Lidia’s outburst should exclude her from the government. It was an honest expression of her feelings and historical fact. I guess the more outcry that takes place, the better for her cause and ultimately, better for all Australians.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
