Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I got mauled by the media. I got mauled by all of you in here for something I did not do. You all had fun. All the cartoons of me riding Harleys, all the disgusting comments I got on my social media and the comments I got from the media—you all demonised me, and today I have been cleared of any wrongdoing. I didn't come to this place to do wrong by the committees I sit on. I take that job very, very seriously. I respect all of those members of any committee that I sit on in this place.

To think, all you people thought that I had been running off with some bikie gang, telling secrets about what goes on in this place. What kind of person do you think I am? I think I deserve an apology from the leader of the Greens, for one, because I lost my position as well. For what? For a kiss on invasion day with some black man at a rally who happened to be an ex-biker. I didn't ask for his resume!

I'm glad. Thank you to the privileges committee for looking hard into this situation. For the record: I put myself up to the privileges committee. I wanted them to investigate me because I knew I had done nothing wrong, but my family and my community were hurting from the racism that I copped. Social media. Media. Thank you very much. I'll end my comments there.

The ACTING DEPUTY PRES IDENT: I remind senators to direct their comments through the chair.

Question agreed to.