If the Prime Minister truly believes Senator Lidia Thorpe is struggling with mental health issues, he should begin removing her from the Parliament.
One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s comments about Senator Thorpe were a transparent attempt to distance his proposed indigenous voice to Parliament from the radical black nationalists represented by the exGreens senator.
“Over the last two days, the Prime Minister has made statements claiming radical Aboriginal campaigner and Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe’s behaviour is symptomatic of mental health issues,” Senator Hanson said. “Senator Thorpe has hit back at the claims as ‘misogynistic’ and ‘racist’.
“The aim of Mr Albanese’s statements about mental health is to try and distance his proposed voice to Parliament from Senator Thorpe. “The Prime Minister’s claims that Senator Thorpe suffers from a mental health condition are entirely unfounded.
“If the Prime Minister truly believes Senator Thorpe has mental health issues and is unfit for Parliament, he must start having her deemed ineligible to hold a Senate position.
“If not, the Prime Minister must immediately stop denigrating the Senator and admit that his voice to Parliament risks increasing the number of like-minded people like Senator Thorpe to the voice.”