Donna Demaio: Australia Correspondent on Lidia Thorpe heckling King Charles and the reaction from politicians

Australian politicians from both sides have denounced Independent indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe's expletive-laden outburst at King Charles' reception in Canberra.  

Thorpe, a Senator for Victoria, began yelling as the King's speech ended and claimed he'd committed genocide against her people.  

She says the King destroyed her land, and the country wants a treaty.  

Australia correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge it's been labelled childish.  

She says front-benchers from both sides say it was grandstanding and failed miserably. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The protests certainly got some reaction and some headlines didn't it.
This is the Australian Senator Lydia Thorpe reaction. Donna Demeyo,
Our Australia corresponds with us Donna, good morning. What has

(00:21):
the reaction been.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yes, we're quite a hostile reception for the Royals in
Canberra and it was just a few meters away that
the Royal couple sat through this rather intense heckling from
the Independent Senator Lydia Thorpe. The reaction, of course has
been quite swift. We know that the Australian Monarchist League
wants her to step down immediately, calling the protest a childish.

(00:49):
Then we heard from Australia's first female Aboriginal senator, Nova Paris,
and she's actually issued what some people are saying is
literally an apoll to the King, saying it was a
rude outburst and a disrespectful attempt to confront the King.
We know that the senator was escorted out by security.

(01:11):
There was even an expletely yelled out in fact, as
Camilla and Charles sat there. There was no reaction from
the Royals. Mind you. The PM also was in the
Room and his fiancee and Peter Dutton, quite a selection
of politicians of course. But we've also heard from front
benches from both sides and they're saying it was just
grand standing and it actually just failed miserably.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, lots of reaction coming from the UK as well,
and I'll get to some of that in a second,
but very quickly, Donna, there's a massive compensation bill coming
for Quantas.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Huge Quandas is facing a well about one hundred million
dollar plus payout for illegal sackings. It's a hefty bill
for unlawfully laying off staff during the pandemic and it
impacts about seventeen hundred workers that lost their job in
twenty twenty. Now they've got to get together, the lawyers
will get together and tender mediation to determine that final
amount payout.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
All right, Donna, thank you very much for that. That's
done into our Australia Correspondent.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
For more from Early edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
to News Talks.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
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