Lidia Thorpe | Lifelong activist – bringing a powerful new voice into Federal Parliament

Our guest today is Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe and she’s a passionate advocate for human rights, social justice and the environment. She’s also a proud Gunnai Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman, who takes inspiration from a long line of strong matriarchs in her family. In 2017, Lidia made history by becoming the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the Victorian Parliament. And in 2020, she made the leap to Federal Parliament as the first Aboriginal Senator for Victoria. But Lidia’s path into politics has not been typical. Growing up in public housing, she left school early to start working and her professional experience covers everything from Aboriginal services to running her own businesses. As an activist, Lidia spent years fighting the system from the outside. Now she’s in the halls of power, determined to use her lived experience as a catalyst for change. In this special episode to mark International Women’s Day, Lidia shares the story behind her move into politics, the hardest and most rewarding aspects of her work, what she hopes to achieve in her role as a Senator and why we need more women from diverse backgrounds in public office. LINKS Find out more about Senator Lidia Thorpe: https://lidia-thorpe.greensmps.org.au/ Follow Lidia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lidiathorpegunnaigunditj/Follow Lidia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lidiathorpe/Follow Lidia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lidia__thorpe CREDITS Host and producer: Jacqui OoiJoin us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatshedidnextpodcast/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatshedidnextpodcastVisit our website: https://whatshedidnext.com.au/ What She Did Next is proud to be a part of the Women's Agenda Podcast Network. Visit https://womensagenda.com.au/ What She Did Next acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which this podcast is recorded and produced, the Cammeraygal people of the Eora nation and the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.