Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has resigned as the party’s deputy leader following a report she briefly dated a former motorcycle boss.
The circumstances surrounding the resignation have raised serious concerns for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has asked the Greens for an explanation.
“I think these are troubling revelations to believe that the oversight processes of the legal system are going to be maintained in a way that ensures integrity and ensures that any information given to them is kept confidential,” he said.
“I note that Senator Thorpe has said that this is an error of judgment – that is the least description I would put to it.
“Adam Bandt needs to explain what his office knew and what he knew and why he wasn’t informed about these issues given that his office was informed, why that is.”
Today, the ABC revealed that Senator Thorpe failed to disclose a past relationship with former biker boss former Rebels in Victoria president Dean Martin in early 2021.
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, confirmed today that he had asked for his resignation in a press conference.
“The media raised issues with me about Senator Thorpe that I didn’t know about until they raised them,” he said.
“I have since looked into these matters. I have asked Senator Thorpe to resign as Deputy Leader of the Senate and have received a resignation.
“As a leader, I expect my senators and parliamentarians, especially those in leadership positions, to exercise good judgment.
“At the very least, Senator Thorpe should have disclosed to me his connection with Mr Martin and his failure to do so showed a significant lack of judgement.”
Bandt said Senator Thorpe understood his decision.
“I now hope that he will demonstrate better judgment in the future and in the exercise of his continuing portfolio responsibilities.
“I also note that Senator Thorpe has not held the justice portfolio since the election. Senator Thorpe has important work to do in First Nations justice, including advancing truth, treaty and voice, and I want him to be able to do this job.”
A statement from Ms Thorpe also confirmed the resignation, acknowledging a lapse in judgment.
“I accept that I have made mistakes and I have not used good judgement,” the Victorian senator said.
“I will now reflect on this and focus on my important portfolio work, particularly advocating for First Nations people.”
Senator Thorpe recently confirmed she briefly dated the former rebel president without disclosing the relationship.
At the time he was working on the joint parliamentary committee on law enforcement, he was privy to confidential briefings on biker gangs and organized crime.
Her staff reportedly alerted party leader Adam Bandt and an independent parliamentary authority after learning of the relationship.
He detailed the nature of the relationship with Martin to the ABC.
“We met through Blak’s activism and dated briefly in early 2021,” she said.
“We remain friends and have collaborated on our shared interests in defending the rights of First Nations peoples.”
Despite a more than 25-year affiliation with the rebels, Martin has no criminal convictions.
He is notably the brother of Shane Martin, father of AFL star Dusty Martin, who was deported to New Zealand for links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Thorpe faced off
Ms Thorpe told one of her staff about the relationship in May last year and another a month later, ABC reported
It was in August 2021 that one of the staff decided to confront Ms Thorpe while she was in a remote session of parliament.
The standoff came after confidential briefing documents from the law enforcement committee arrived in Ms Thorpe’s office in Melbourne containing details of the AFP’s monitoring of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The same day, according to staff, Ms Thorpe returned to the office after question time and told them she had just come from a meeting in a park across the road with Mr Martin.
In an Aug. 25 work journal entry, staff wrote that they had encouraged their boss to disclose the relationship to the leader’s office.
“My advice to the senator is that she needs to speak to the leader’s office, who is at extreme risk of being blackmailed, especially if anyone finds out,” the post read.
“[The] senator [has been] he warned that the risks are catastrophic and that he should resign. I advised that it was absolutely necessary that she register the fact that I have given her this advice and that ultimately it was up to her to take it or not,” he continued.
“She has chosen not to take it on. . . . I highlighted the huge, real risk. She assured me that the relationship was no longer on.”
Staff also reported that Ms Thorpe told her the couple used an encrypted messaging app to communicate and cleared their messaging history once a week.
They also never met at their respective homes, they added, and were being “very careful”, according to what Ms Thorpe told staff.
Staff became concerned again after seeing Ms Thorpe and Mr Martin together in their electoral office in February this year, with them talking privately in a room for 15 minutes before leaving.
Ms. Thorpe stated that the meeting was scheduled “to discuss issues related to the deportation of First Nations people, including her brother [Shane]”.
Shane died in New Zealand late last year.
More to come…