King Charles is harassed by Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe after a speech in Australia

Topline

An Aboriginal senator was walked out of a parliamentary reception for King Charles III on Monday. and accompanied his wife Camila in Australia after screaming that he had “committed genocide against our people” and calling for a treaty between British colonizers and Australia's indigenous population.

Important facts

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Surprising fact

Australia removed the British monarchy from its paper money in 2023 and issued new $5 bills that featured an indigenous design instead of an image of King Charles III. had. The $5 bill was the last paper currency to still feature the monarch's image. The monarch is still depicted on coins in the country.

Important background

An estimated 20,000 Indigenous residents (and 2,500 European settlers) died in conflicts in Australia between the first colonization by the British in the late 18th century and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. No treaty was ever concluded between the British and Australia's indigenous people, and political groups are divided over what the country's relationship with the British Empire should be in the future. The prime minister's center-left Labor Party wants to see an Australian as head of state, while opposition leader Peter Dutton wants the British king to continue to serve as Australia's monarch. Despite the disagreements, there has not been a major push to make Australia a republic for more than 20 years (since the 1999 referendum). Thorpe is among those who believe a binding treaty should be made to address historic abuses of Aboriginal people, return unused land to its original owners and establish separate Senate seats for Indigenous representatives. She also supports the Pay the Rent campaign, which advocates for non-Indigenous Australians to voluntarily pay reparations to people from First Nations communities.

tangent

Albanese, the prime minister who welcomed King Charles on Monday, is a supporter of Australia's separation from the British monarch. In his welcoming speech, he said Charles had “shown great respect for Australians, even at a time when we have debated the future of our own constitutional arrangements and the nature of our relationship with the Crown.” The premiers of Australia's six states – the New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania – all refused to attend Charles' reception on Monday, which monarchists described as “insulting”. The Australian Republic Movement had requested a meeting with Charles during his visit, the Associated Press reported, but there was no mention of it on his official itinerary. So far the King's visit has included a church service, two speeches, the reception and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Australian War Memorial. The six-day visit is Charles' first visit to Australia since ascending the throne and the biggest trip since he began his cancer treatment in February.

Further reading

NPR“Give us what you stole from us,” the indigenous Australian senator shouts at King CharlesThe Sydney Morning HeraldWithout a contract, the new senator cannot feel part of “Team Australia”.ForbesKing Charles resumes his public duties “shortly” after being diagnosed with cancerFrom Brian BushardForbesKing Charles was diagnosed with cancer after being hospitalizedFrom Zachary FolkForbesHow rich is King Charles III? In the new monarch's unheard of fortuneFrom Giacomo Tognini